Gun rights activists in Buffalo, N.Y., rallied Tuesday to shred gun registration forms required by law in the Empire State as form of symbolic protest for how New York is “shredding” the United States Constitution.
The Second Amendment supporters gathered on Tax Day, the deadline to register assault weapons with the state of New York, to argue against the state’s SAFE Act.
“They have been shredding the Constitution for years,” Russ Thompson, the leader of the protest in Buffalo, told The Buffalo News. “You shred the Constitution, we’ll shred any form you want us to fill out. They can’t arrest a million people. What are they going to do?”
A symbol of how the state is “shredding” the Constitution, the more than 70 in attendance proceeded to run the very gun registration forms they are required by law to fill out through a paper shredder.
The SAFE Act was hastily passed in 2013 without any chance for public debate — which is standard for new bills making their way through the New York state legislature. The law requires residents with “assault weapons,” defined as any semi-automatic weapon with a “military-style” feature, be registered with the state. Any firearm with a pistol grip, telescoping stock or ability to hold a detachable magazine falls under the category of an “assault weapon.”
Guns that fit the state’s definition can no longer be bought or sold in the Empire State. However, those already possessing the firearms can keep them as long as they register the guns with the state. Gun owners can also modify their weapons to make the “military” features inoperable.
Law enforcement officers who encounter gun owners who failed to register their weapons are supposed to take down the gun’s serial number and report the delinquent owner to officials in Albany, N.Y.
However, Erie County, N.Y., Sheriff Timothy B. Howard said he isn’t outright directing his officers to do so.
“I don’t know,” he said. “I am not encouraging them to do it. At the same time, their own consciences should be their guide. I am not forcing my conscience on them. That’s a decision they should make.”
Those who disobey the SAFE Act’s requirements by failing to register their firearms could face a misdemeanor charge. If they are found in illegal possession of an assault weapon, the charge is upgraded to a felony.
A similar protest was held in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., last month. Gun rights activists and Second Amendment supporters there lit fire to more than 1,000 gun registration forms.
h/t TheBlaze
