NY Lawmakers Push for Gun License Renewals

New York, NY —

New York lawmakers are fighting to pass legislation that would change gun laws in most of the state. Only eight counties require periodic license renewals and they're all downstate. The other 54 allow gun owners to keep them for life. State Senator Eric Schneiderman says every other kind of license in the state needs renewal - except the most important one:

SCHNEIDERMAN: How is it that in the state of NY we say its too dangerous for you to have a cosmetology license without checking up periodically to make sure you're okay, or a notary public license or a license to operate a pet cemetery but to carry a handgun you have to have to have a lifetime license.

REOPRTER: Schneiderman's bill would require owners north of Westchester to renew their permits every five years.

Supporters say if lawmakers passed the measure sooner, the fatal shooting of 14 people in Binghamton may have been prevented.

Opponents of the bill and several other gun control measures pending, plan to travel en masse to Albany at the end of the month to fight what they're calling "excessive legislation".