GENESEO — Following a ruling by the United States District Court of Western New York, Sheriff Thomas Dougherty has announced that the office will not enforce the seven round provision of the New York State Safe Act.
According to a press release from Livingston County Sheriff Thomas Dougherty, the office will revert back to the previous limit of 10 round limits.
Sheriff Dougherty cited the following verbiage from the ruling as part of the office’s decision:
“Unlike the restrictions on assault weapons and large-capacity magazines, the seven-round limit cannot survive intermediate scrutiny. It presents the possibility of a disturbing perverse effect, pitting the criminal with a fully loaded magazine against a law abiding citizen limited to seven rounds.”
The SAFE Act stands for Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement Act and according to the state website is designed to prevent criminals and the dangerously mentally ill from buying guns, cracks down on illegal guns and bans only the most dangerous assault weapons.
“The court recognized the backwards logic of a law which, ostensibly, would disadvantage a person, even in their own home, by requiring them to disarm themselves.” stated Sheriff Dougherty in the press release.
STORY UPDATED 6:51 p.m.