Liz Krueger, John DeFrancisco

Sen. Liz Krueger, D-New York, right, and Sen. John DeFranciso, R-Syracuse, debate a budget bill in the Senate Chamber at the Capitol in Albany, N.Y., in this file photo from March 30, 2011.

(AP)

ALBANY, N.Y. -- A New York State Senate committee rejected Monday a bill that would make it a crime to fail to safely store a firearm.

In a party line vote, the Senate codes committee voted down the proposed Children's Weapon Accident Prevention Act, which would make it a felony if a gun owner fails to safely store a loaded weapon and the gun is used by a child under 18 to kill or injure a child.

The bill also would have made it a less serious violation for a gun owner to fail to lock up a weapon or disable it with a trigger lock when the firearm is not in their immediate possession or control.

The state Assembly has passed similar bills in recent years, but the legislation has never made it through Senate committees for a vote on the floor of the Senate.

Sen. Michael Nozzolio

Sen. Michael Nozzolio, R-Fayette, the chair of the Senate codes committee voted against the bill, explaining, "It creates several problems for those trying to protect their families."

"However well-intentioned this measure may be, I believe it creates many more problems than you're anticipating," Nozzolio told the bill's sponsor, Sen. Liz Krueger, D-Manhattan.

Sen. Joseph Griffo, R-Rome, was among nine Republican senators who voted against the bill.

"You would think that protecting our kids from loaded weapons would be something we could all get behind, but apparently that is a bridge too far for my Republican colleagues," said Krueger.

Krueger cited statistics from the Centers for Disease Control that said that from 2005-2010, almost 3,800 people were killed in unintentional shootings, including over 1,300 young people under age 25. In 2013, guns were the second most common cause of death among children and teens, according to the center's statistics.

"Too many times we've all seen the tragic results when kids get their hands on guns. These tragedies are preventable, but today we failed yet again in our responsibility to New York's families," Krueger said.

Twenty-eight states and Washington, D.C., have laws holding gun owners responsible for failure to properly secure a firearm, according to Krueger. In 2000, legislation was enacted in New York to require the purchase of a safety lock with the purchase or transfer of a gun, but there is currently no requirement to use the device or safely store the gun.

Pending in the Assembly is a similar bill called Nicholas' Law, after 12-year-old Nicholas Naumkin, who was shot in the head by a 12-year-old friend playing with his father's gun at his friend's home in Wilton, N.Y. Naumkin died the following day, on Dec. 23, 2010.

Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, D-Scarsdale, is the sponsor of that bill.

Contact Mike McAndrew anytime | email | Twitter | 315-470-3016