A gun shop owner in Albion, New York, says police gave him 24 hours to turn over the purchase records of customers who’d bought “bullet button” AR-15 rifles in recent months, since the passage of the state’s SAFE Act in 2013.
Albion Gun Shop owner Joseph Palumbo said he had to give up about 165 customer records — and now he and his clients are concerned about “door-to-door confiscation” and “warrantless searches,” he said, The Blaze reported.
The bullet button means the magazine can’t be detached without a special tool.
Under the SAFE Act, rifle owners can’t possess weapons with detachable magazines — but Mr. Palumbo said the guidelines about bullet buttons are vague, and he only recently found out that some of the guns he sold weren’t compliant, The Blaze reported.
“I have a lot of customers concerned that the cops are going to come kick their doors down or conduct warrantless searches,” Mr. Palumbo said, The Blaze reported. “It’s something I am worried about, it’s something my attorney is worried about, it’s something my customers are worried about.”
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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