For Immediate Release
September 14, 2023
Contact: Aaron Dorr,

Albany, New York – The New York State Firearms Association (NYSFA) has filed a federal lawsuit — NYSFA v. Nigrelli — against New York Governor Kathy Hochul in the Western District of New York challenging her blatantly unconstitutional ammunition registration / tax scheme.

Hochul’s new ammunition registration / tax scheme mandates that everyone in the state submit to a New York government background check every time they buy ammo and pay a $2.50 tax on every ammunition transaction, giving the State of New York a database of New Yorkers who are gun owners and how many rounds of ammo they own.

NYSFA v Nigrelli Link: 2023.09.13-NYSFA-v-Nigrelli-Complaint.pdf (newyorkstatefirearmsassociation.org)

Aaron Dorr, Executive Director of NYSFA had this to say about Hochul’s new scheme:

“This is blatantly unconstitutional. 100%. And that was before last year’s Bruen decision.  Post Bruen, this is nothing more than a middle finger from Kathy Hochul to gun owners. The Bruen decision made it clear that ANY current or future gun control laws needed to show a ‘historical precedent’ or they would immediately be deemed unconstitutional.  There is ZERO historical precedent for registering people who buy ammunition.  And that goes doubly true for requiring gun owners to pay a tax to the government for the ‘privilege!’”

Hochul’s new ammunition background check process:

>>> Makes you a criminal for buying ammunition in New York State from anyone unless you go through a background check with the State Police, first.

>>> Forces you to pay a tax of $2.50 each time you go to buy ammunition. If you buy a single box of .22LR, that tax could raise the cost of the purchase by almost 50%!

>>> Requires a background check on muzzleloaders, even though the ATF has repeatedly said that these are not firearms in a legal sense and does not require them to be tracked.

>>> Will very likely force a background check on the sale of black powder. This is not confirmed as of this writing, but it seems very likely, and retailers are bracing for it.

“In short, this is Kathy Hochul’s attempt to register, track and trace every single gun owner in New York State!  She wants to know what guns they own, how many rounds of ammo they possess, and she plans to tax the hell out of them when ammo is bought.

The New York legislature is run by a criminal horde of Communists who would love to disarm every New Yorker — they’ll never overturn this law on their own in Albany.   The only venue for this battle is Federal Court.  And that’s where we are filing our lawsuit.

On behalf of our members at NYSFA and millions of 2A supporters across New York, we’re prepared to overturn this unconstitutional power grab, even if we have to go all the way to SCOTUS,” said Aaron Dorr.

NYSFA v Nigrelli Link: 2023.09.13-NYSFA-v-Nigrelli-Complaint.pdf (newyorkstatefirearmsassociation.org)

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