What are the worst gun laws in what states and why?

Question

I should not say "worst" but as the media tends to tag them that. The issue maybe more than the gun laws and than again it may not. I am just looking for unbiased facts.

Answer 1

New York. Sullivan Law.

The Sullivan Act is a New York state law that requires a permit to carry or own any gun small enough to be concealed. Because the permit is issued by local law enforcement, it provides a great deal of local control on firearm availability.

* Passed by the New York Senate May 10, 1911
* Passed by the New York Assembly May 15, 1911
* Signed into law May 29, 1911
* In force as of September 1, 1911
* amended in 1931 to require finger prints and photographs

The permit requirement is on a per gun basis. The initial fee of $3.00 per gun meant that poor people were immediately priced out of the legal gun market. Although promising to never raise the fee, it now sits at $55.00 per gun and the city takes up to six months.

Big Tim" Sullivan was a politician and organized crime boss in this period. He was a part of the Tammany Hall political machine that controlled a corrupt New York City Police Department (and thereby the future Pistol Licensing Bureau). He also owned the Hesper Club, a successful gambling establishment on the lower east side. This is the man who proposed the Sullivan Act and it is named after.

By writing the law as it was, Sullivan provided himself several advantages. He could:

* guarantee his body guards could be armed,
* guarantee his opponent's body guards should not be armed,
* and use a corrupt police force to arrest his opponents for violations, guilty or not.

It is said that one political opponent had all his pockets sewn closed after three arrests for carrying guns without a permit.

Sullivan promises that if this bill passes, homicides would drop substantially. In fact, post Sullivan Act, suicides dropped by 50% but murders did not drop.

Police choose who can own guns lawfully. "Sullivan Law" enacted, requiring police permission, via a permit issued at their discretion, to own a handgun.

Unpopular minorities were and are routinely denied permits. ("Gun Control: White Man's Law," William R. Tonso, Reason, December 1985) "(T)here are only about 3,000 permits in New York City, and 25,000 carry permits. If you're a street-corner grocer in Manhattan, good luck getting a gun permit. But among those who have been able to wrangle a precious carry permit out of the city's bureaucracy are Donald Trump, Arthur Ochs Sulzburger, William Buckley, Jr., and David, John, Lawrence and Winthrop Rockefeller. Surprise." (Terrance Moran, "Racism and the Firearms Firestorm," Legal Times)

Answer 2

Part of the assault weapons ban requires guns meeting any two of the criteria to be considered assault weapons. Two of the potential criteria include a blade extension and an ammo clip. I had owned a muzzle loader and by law had to remove either the clip or the bayonet because it was considered an assault weapon even though it could only fire one shot.