ALBANY — With half the state's counties passing resolutions denouncing New York's new gun control law, top state officials are considering "technical corrections" to the measure to ensure that newly banned weapons can still be used in movies and TV shows filmed in New York.

"We spend a lot of money bringing movie production here, post-production here, so obviously we would want to facilitate that," Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, said at a Wednesday afternoon news conference. "I don't know that legally (a prop firearm) would even be classified as an assault weapon. ... But people want certainty, and there's no reason not to make a change like that to give people and an industry comfort."

The gun control law, called the SAFE Act, broadened the definition of banned assault weapons and made magazines containing more than seven bullets unlawful. It also increased penalties for illegal gun possession, reduced public access to gun permit information and allowed mental health professionals to report concerns about a gun-owning patient harming himself or others.

The bill passed quickly last month, through a "message of necessity" that waived the legally required three-day waiting period. The Senate, led by a Republican-dominated coalition, passed the measure by a 43-18 vote less than two hours after the bill's text became public. The Democrat-dominated Assembly passed the bill the next day, and Cuomo signed it.

Dissent has simmered since. A rally featuring National Rifle Association President David Keene is planned for Thursday outside the state Capitol. Several Republican politicians, including Sen. Kathy Marchione of Halfmoon, have criticized the process by which the bill passed and have started online petitions to document opposition. This week, Saratoga County passed a resolution opposing the law.

Polls show that more than two-thirds of New Yorkers support the new measure, but a Siena Research Institute survey released earlier this month found the support among upstate voters surveyed was 50 percent, while 46 percent of respondents said they oppose the law.

Even while members of the Assembly debated the bill, its mostly Democratic supporters acknowledged that the hasty process had led to errors in the law. Cuomo and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver said for the first time Wednesday that the exception for weapons used in films and television shows is being considered.

It's unclear if that amendment has support from leaders in the Senate, controlled by a Republican-dominated coalition. A spokesman for Republican Leader Dean Skelos declined to comment, while an aide to Bronx Sen. Jeff Klein, leader of the Independent Democratic Conference, said he had agreed to the proposal.

Cuomo's proposed 2013-14 budget includes a five-year extension of the film and television tax credit, which costs the state over $400 million a year.

Area Republicans cried foul.

"They trample the Second Amendment at a moment's notice; they're not worried about the ability of New Yorkers to protect their families, they're worried about Hollywood," said Assemblyman Steve McLaughlin, R-Schaghticoke.

Assemblyman Jim Tedisco, R-Glenville, agreed.

"It just goes to show you this is an altered reality show," he said. "Maybe some of our gun owners will start to become actors."

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