Conservation, Legislation and Scholarships

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OCFoSC Big Game Report 2024-07-15

1) As the 2024 New York State legislative regular session has drawn to a close, there are some bills we need to keep a close eye on:

As of the close of the 2024 Regular Session of the New York State Legislature, the following have resulted:

A] A6815A/S5802A would allow hunters 60 & older to hunt deer with crossbow in a “special archery season. Passed Senate. Sitting in Assembly EnCon Committee. 

Recommend that OCFoSC support passage of this bill, unless A2940/S3191 advances, first.

B] A2940/S3191 broader than above bill. Would allow hunters 55 & older , as well as those unable to draw a vertical bow, to hunt deer & bear with a crossbow. Would require Archery privilege, instead of Muzzleloader Privilege. Sitting in Senate EnCon Committee. 

Recommend that OCFoSC support passage of this bill.

C] S8461B “Sporting Range Good Neighbor Act” would require each trap or skeet field to be a minimum of 600 yards by 300 yards in size. Also requires lead remediation. No Assembly companion bill. Remarked as S8461A & passed Consumer protection Committee. Remarked as S8461B & committed to Senate EnCon Committee. No Assembly companion bill, at this time. Recommend that OCFoSC continue to vehemently oppose this ridiculous bill that serves no purpose, other than to unnecessarily burden local sporting clubs.

D] A2882/S6649 would require firearms dealers to post & provide to customers, written warnings of dangers posed by access to weapons in the home. Passed Senate 05-28-2024. Delivered to Assembly. Referred to Codes Committee 05-28-2024. Awaiting delivery to Governor’s Office.

Recommend that OCFoSC vehemently oppose this bill as more unnecessary requirements for dealers to adhere to.

E] A2084A/S4976A would prohibit use of lead for hunting on State WMAs, State Forests, Forest Preserves, State Parks, or any other State-owned land open to hunting, as well as any land contributing surface water to the New York City water supply. 04-20-2023 Amended to S4976A. 01-03-2024 Recommitted to EnCon Committee. No apparent Assembly action.

Recommend that OCFoSC vehemently oppose this bill, especially since no science has established  a causative link between use of lead hunting ammunition and any form of contamination or adverse health effects.

F] A8443 would allow New York State Attorney General to prosecute out of state dealers which sell firearms and/or ammunition to New York State residents. Would require out of state dealers to contact New York State Police for background check, prior to sale. Currently, no Senate companion bill. In Assembly Committee. 

Recommend that OCFoSC vehemently oppose this bill on grounds that such legislation is beyond the jurisdiction of the New York State Attorney General, and is an attack on legal interstate commerce.

G] A1553 would authorize a person to pass his/her guns to immediate family members through their estate. 01-03-2024 Referred to Assembly Codes committee. No Senate Companion bill.

Recommend that OCFoSC support this bill and encourage our local State Senators to sponsor & support a companion bill.

H] A0508 would prohibit NYSDEC’s pheasant rearing for hunting. 01-03-2024 referred to Assembly EnCon Committee. No Senate companion bill.

Recommend that OCFoSC vehemently oppose this bill, since pheasant hunting is a $60,000,000.00+ annual economic engine for the New York State economy.

I] A9862A/S8479A Would require payment card networks (credit/debit card) to use firearm/ammo specific codes for purchases.

OCFoSC should vehemently oppose this because of invasion of privacy & possible discrimination issues.

PASED BOTH HOUSES. HAS NOT, YET, BEEN DELIVERED TO GOVERNOR’S OFFICE.

J] A6663A/S138A Would ban NRA certified firearms instructors and create NYS DCJS standards and implement a DCJS instructor corps.

Recommend that OCFoSC vehemently oppose this legislation, as NRA created the Sportsman Education Program for what is now NYSDEC, as well as the fact that NRA trainers provide training to tens of thousands of lawful gun owners, in New York State, every year.

PASSED SENATE, REMAINED IN ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE.

K] A5696/S4818 would create a 10-day waiting period for firearms purchases. 

OCFoSC should vehemently oppose this bill, since it only negatively impacts law abiding citizens, while having absolutely no deterrent effect on violent criminals.

PASSED SENATE 42-19. REMAINED IN ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE.

In 2023, New York hunters harvested 97,557 antlerless deer, which includes both adult does and fawns. That number was 115,536 in 2022. 

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation recently released white-tailed deer harvest statistics from the 2023-24 hunting season. The estimated harvest reflects a statewide decrease of 9.6%.
In 2023 (which includes early 2024), 209,781 whitetails were taken compared to 231,961 in 2022. The number is also down from the five-year average of 229,839. The greatest contributor to this decrease was a lower antlered deer harvest.

The Senate has initiated a bill a Glock Handgun ban. Please take a moment to read and contact your representative.  This is from Gun Owners of America. I did go to their site you can put in your location, and it shows who your representative is if you don’t know. 

Yesterday, anti-gun New York legislators introduced a bill designed to COMPLETELY ban the sale of Glock handguns and other semi-automatic pistols. Their bill, S. 9225, comes under the guise that Glocks, and other semi-automatic “convertible pistols,” can be easily turned into machine-guns through the installation or attachment of a “pistol converter,” more commonly known as a “Glock switch.” New York state lawmakers are intentionally targeting a major firearms manufacturer and banning the sale of their product because criminals, who don’t obey the law in the first place, could illegally acquire handguns and then illegally alter them further. Under federal law, machine guns are already heavily regulated items, so what might be the real intention of this law?

It’s obvious: to initiate the framework for a complete ban, and total confiscation of semi-automatic handguns – all made possible through New York’s handgun registry.

This legislation was only introduced yesterday, so it’s important that we move quickly. We won’t stand for these abuses of power, and neither should you.

The left’s onslaught on gun ownership has never been clearer, fill out the form above and DEMAND your state senator oppose S 9225