August 27, 2014:
NY City Council Introduces “Gun Offender Registry Bill”
The New York City Council Committee on Public Safety on Thursday introduced Int 0434 (also known as the Gun Offender Registry Bill), legislation which would create a publicly-accessible database of individuals who have been convicted of a firearm offense. The database would allow the public to search for firearm offenders by zip code, provide a general description of the offender and his/her conviction, and would give the public an option of signing up for email alerts providing notifications when firearm offenders move into their geographic area. Costa Constantinides (D- Queens), a chief sponsor of the bill, stated that “the Gun Offender Registry bill will better equip our city in the effort to combat and eradicate gun violence.” A copy of Int 0434, which will likely go to a vote within the next month, can be found here.
California Ten-Day Waiting Period Violates Second Amendment
Judge Ishii of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California ruled on Monday that California’s ten day waiting period, as applied to individuals who pass the state’s background check prior to the end of the ten day period and are already in lawful possession of an additional firearm, violates the Second Amendment. The ruling also applies to those who pass a background check and have a valid concealed carry permit. The case, Silvester v. Harris, was brought by the CalGuns Foundation, the Second Amendment Foundation, and three individual plaintiffs (including Jeff Silvester) against California Attorney General Kamala Harris. In his Opinion, Judge Ishii noted that the waiting period “burdens the Second Amendment rights of the Plaintiffs.” A copy of Judge Ishii’s Decision can be found here.