Albany

Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Wednesday said he will push for new laws allowing confiscation of guns from people convicted of domestic violence, including misdemeanors.

"This year will be remembered as the year of reckoning, when both the tragedy of mass shootings and cultural and institutional harassment of women became impossible to ignore," Cuomo said in prepared statement.

He said he’ll discuss the plan in further detail at his annual State of the State speech in January.

State law currently prohibits weapons possession by those convicted of felonies. But that doesn’t include domestic violence crimes that are misdemeanors such as assault and battery, or strangulation.

Cuomo’s proposal would extend the prohibition to these domestic violence misdemeanors.

It also would expand the prohibition beyond handguns to shotguns and rifles.

Additionally, those who are subject to court-issued orders of protection also would have to immediately surrender their guns until their cases are resolved.

"Our proposal would be no guns for any conviction misdemeanor or felony," he said later during a phone conference with reporters.

While federal law already bans gun ownership by those convicted of domestic violence, there are large gaps in how such people are tracked nationally.

The proposal comes as the Republican controlled Congress is seeking to lower restrictions on gun ownership by allowing state-to-state reciprocity of concealed carry permits.

If that becomes law, those with legal concealed carry handguns from liberal gun-law states like Vermont or Arizona would be able to carry their weapons into New York, despite the Empire State’s relatively stringent laws.

Cuomo, a Democrat, through this proposal appears to be aligning himself against the Republicans in control of Congress.

He also mentioned the current wave of recrimination against men in positions of power who have been accused of sexual abuse.

“We are continuing our mission for progressive values and women's rights with this legislation to target the unquestionable relationship between domestic violence and gun violence," he said.

The governor singled out two lawmakers: Westchester Democratic Assemblywoman Amy Paulin and Staten Island’s Independent Democratic Conference member Diane Savino in the Senate as those who have pushed for the tougher laws.

rkarlin@timesunion.com 518 454 5758 @RickKarlinTU