Silver Says State Developing Electronic Handgun Permit Database

New York will spend over $27 million to develop a statewide electronic handgun permit database as part of its new gun control law, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver said Tuesday.

Silver said the measure in the tentative state budget will create a central database of handgun permit records now kept at the county level. The new database will allow faster statewide cross-checking with records of crimes and involuntary commitments to mental health facilities.

The law also exempts records of individual handgun owners from the state freedom of information law. That would avoid the conflict that arose when a newspaper reported the names of handgun permit holders and their addresses.

The database is a key element of the state gun control law. Another element is a broader ban on military-style rifles often called assault weapons.

The funding is in the tentative state budget expected to gain final legislative approval in the Assembly.