Most NY gun show operators agree to new rules

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) -- Most of New York's gun show operators have agreed to new rules designed to make sure weapon sales are properly tracked and done safely, Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said Thursday.

Twenty-three operators, representing more than 80 percent of the shows across the state, will abide by the "Model Gun Show Procedures" developed after undercover operations in 2011 showed buyers could obtain weapons without going through required background checks, Schneiderman said. Another five operators are reviewing the rules and are expected to adopt them, he said.

Two major operators in western New York agreed to the rules last year and a company that runs shows in the Capital Region and Syracuse signed on in January.

A key provision in the rules require that all guns that private sellers bring to the shows are tagged, then checked later to determine if they were sold and a background check was done on the buyer.

The rules also limit the number of entrance doors to improve monitoring and require operators to take steps to prevent unregulated sales outside shows, including notifying law enforcement of shows so they can patrol nearby.

The rules were developed after Schneiderman charged 10 gun sellers with failing to run required background checks before making sales to the undercover buyers at six shows around New York state. The buyers walked away with guns even after telling the sellers they had orders of protection against them and couldn't pass a background check, Schneiderman said at the time.

Nine of those sellers pleaded guilty to misdemeanor violation of gun show laws; another was convicted following a jury trial.