Mike Groll/AP
President Obama and Gov. Cuomo are both pushing for tougher gun laws in wake of Newtown slaughter.
Gov. Cuomo is pushing for New York to adopt, by one measure, the toughest gun controls in the nation â€" and he may have help from across the aisle to do it, the Daily News has learned.
Cuomo is in talks with legislative leaders to expand the state’s ban on assault weapons and to outlaw gun magazines containing more than seven bullets, sources said.
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That would be more restrictive than the toughest limits now on the books â€" laws in New York, Massachusetts, Hawaii and the District of Columbia permitting magazines that allow for the rapid fire of as many as 10 bullets.
Cuomo and legislative leaders are negotiating the new restrictions in response to the shooting rampage that killed 26 people at a Connecticut grade school.
In a major shift, Republicans in the state Senate â€" who have long thwarted new gun controls â€" are now open to expanding the state’s assault weapon ban, although they have not yet signaled what new limits they would accept, sources said.
“If we were digging our heels in, do you think all this talking would be going on?†a Republican official in the Senate said.
Cuomo on Thursday acknowledged his talks with lawmakers but he did not reveal the substance of the negotiations.
However, Cuomo said something about his own relationship with guns that most New Yorkers did not know. The pro-gun-control Democrat â€" born and bred in Queens â€" said he owns a shotgun, which he has used for hunting.
Cuomo talked about his gun in making the argument that fellow hunters should not balk at expanding gun restrictions.
“I don’t think legitimate sportsmen are going to say I need an assault weapon to go hunting,†Cuomo said.
Cuomo’s aides confirmed that he has owned the shotgun since the 1990s, when he was federal housing secretary under President Bill Clinton.
The weapon has a trigger lock and is securely stored at Cuomo’s Westchester County home, aides said. He has not used it since he became governor two years ago.
Cuomo â€" a potential presidential candidate in 2016 â€" is said to be eager to show progress on gun control at a time when progress in Washington is uncertain.
The negotiations in Albany are on such a fast track, legislators have been told they might have to return to the capitol before Christmas to take up the issue.
However, Cuomo said Thursday a deal was unlikely before the new year and that it would likely be included as a proposal in his State of the State address on Jan. 9.
In the aftermath of the Connecticut rampage, President Obama has vowed to make gun violence a “central issue†of his second term. He directed Vice President Biden to present concrete proposals next month.
However, many pro-gun Republicans in Congress have signaled their opposition to any major new gun controls.
Albany insiders say Cuomo and the Democrats are focused on new gun restrictions, while the Senate Republicans are pushing for tougher laws over the illegal use of guns.
Also under discussion: Tougher laws for those who bring firearms onto school grounds, expanding the number of gun-related felonies that carry five-year minimum prison sentences, and strengthening penalties against those who provide ammunition and weapons for use in a crime.
There’s also talk of imposing tougher gun registration requirements and possibly launching a state program of buying back semi-automatic weapons that would become illegal under any new laws.
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