By Dave Workman’
Senior Editor
American gun rights activists are infuriated by reports that police in Buffalo, N.Y. will apparently begin confiscating guns legally owned by people who have recently passed away.
Angry gun owners contend that this is proof of what they have been saying for years – and being roundly criticized as paranoids for doing so – about how registration leads to confiscation.
The report ignited outrage across several firearms forums, and brought criticism from the head of the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association (NYSRPA).
NYSRPA President Tom King told Fox News that the police are apparently not being candid to people when they seize firearms.
“They’re quick to say they’re going to take the guns,” King reportedly said. “But they don’t tell you the law doesn’t apply to long guns, or that these families can sell [their loved one’s] pistol or apply to keep it.”
According to Fox News, “The state law says that if the permit holder dies, the estate has 15 days to dispose of the guns or turn them in to authorities, who can hold the weapons up to two years. LoHud.com reported that violation of the law by survivors is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a fine.”
Gun confiscations in Buffalo weren’t the only alarming news from Fox. The network also reported about Jack McCauley, now retired from the Maryland State Police, who contended in a court affidavit that the administration of anti-gun Gov. Martin O’Malley purposely misled the public about the state’s Firearms Safety Act of 2013.
According to the Fox report, McCauley, who served in the police firearms licensing division, was under political pressure not to answer questions about the Act’s effectiveness as a crime-prevention tool. He accused O’Malley’s office and the mainsteream press of “intentionally lying to people,” and now he’s apparently trying to clear the record.
O’Malley was defeated Nov. 4 by Republican challenger Larry Hogan. Maryland gun owners are hoping he reverses the law, which banned so-called “assault weapons” and placed new restrictions on handgun buyers in the state. A lawsuit to overturn the law was short-lived, so now the only option is repeal.
