I beleive that any law passed should be applied to the state not just certain counties. I have carried since I was of legal age. In New York, a permit to carry applies to the anywhere in the state but the City of New York. This led to a lot of anymosity by the upstaters regarding city dwellers. New York sees this as just another waY OF COLLECTING REVENUES. Upstaters can get a lifetime liscense and city dwellers have to pay exorbitant amounts for every gun, every year. Why hasn't people sued for their rights?
Many firearms permitted in Upstate NY are banned in New York City. Acquiring a handgun license in NYC is extremely difficult.
Urban areas in New York have different laws than suburban or rural parts of the state. An AR-15 is perfectly legal where I live. If I lived 10 blocks south inside the Rochester city limits, it would be illegal.
Why haven't New Yorkers sued for their rights? Well, there are at least two problems with that. First, much of the state -- certainly most of the population, being located in New York City -- lean pretty far left and tend to be anti-gun. A suit would not have the bulk of the populace on its side. Second, the state government is terminally corrupt and routinely steps on rights. The Assembly is controlled by democrats and we're a couple seats away from losing the Senate, which is currently controlled by Republicans (or RINOs, depending on your take). Our governor, David Patterson, wanted to push a law that would make it a criminal offense for any New York State law enforcement officer to aim for center-of-mass in a shootout, saying the police must aim to injure. Yes, you read that right: a cop, who is being shot at, would probably face prison time if he killed his assailant because he failed to hit him in the arm or leg.
So, while such a law suit might be completely just, it would very likely be dismissed in a heartbeat.
There comes a point at which local legislation becomes too onerous to endure: you are left with leaving for greener pastures, or simply disobeying.
Welcome, by the way.
