With $217,400 in donations since 2003, the National Rifle Association has shelled out more cash in the last decade to legislators in New York than in any other state, reports the Daily News. In what Democrats identify as a transparent agenda opposing Mayor Michael Bloomberg's push to microstamp bullet casings, the NRA pumped more than half of the money into the coffers of Republicans senators following a failed bill in 2010.
Introduced by Democratic Senator José Peralta of Queens, S675B would require that semi-automatic pistols sold in New York mechanically stamp an alpha-numeric or geometric code on the cartridge case, which would be used to identify the make, model, and serial number of the gun. Opponents contest that a microstamp could be easily tampered with by criminals—thereby outweighing the cost— in addition to infringing upon Second Amendment rights.
Earlier this week, Bloomberg urged senate Republicans to "stop cowering before the gun lobby." Yet, Republicans flush with gun lobby cash aren't willing to concede that the donations have kept microstamping from becoming a reality, pointing out that Bloomberg—a fierce opponent of the NRA— happens to be the largest single donor to the senate GOP.
