RUSH - Rep. Chris Collins came out firing at Andrew M. Cuomo on Monday and his target was the governor's SAFE Act gun-control law.

"If our governor had his way there would be no guns in the state of New York. Well, the Second Amendment says otherwise," Collins, R-Clarence, Erie County, said, standing amid a few dozen supporters at a gun club just south of Rochester.

Collins announced Monday that he has proposed new federal legislation that would make illegal key parts of New York's SAFE Act. Collins' bill is called SAGA — the Second Amendment Guarantee Act — and if it is enacted, much of Cuomo's controversial SAFE Act would become void. It would do the same in other states that have tough anti-gun laws, as federal laws would take precedence over state law.

The SAFE Act was an "egregious overstep of the Second Amendment,” said Collins, who spoke at the Rochester Brooks Gun Club in Rush and then later in Hamburg, Erie County.

New York's Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement Act was passed on Jan. 5, 2013, a few weeks after a mass shooting killed 20 students at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut. It bans some semiautomatic-style guns with detachable magazines (for bullets) or magazines that hold more than 10 rounds. Those are legal under federal law.

Proud of New York's strict anti-gun stance, Cuomo fired back at Collins on Monday. In a statement, the governor called SAGA "disturbing," and said it puts "millions of people at profound risk." He termed it a "blatant political ploy," by Collins, adding that "he is beholden to no one but the gun lobby and entrenched special interests."

"The courts have resoundingly upheld New York's law as consistent with the Constitution," Cuomo said. "We understand that Washington is in turmoil right now — we just ask that they don't do anything to set back the progress we've been able to make despite them."

Collins said he expects to have "overwhelming" support nationwide and not just from Republicans. Hunters and sportsmen who use shotguns and rifles will no longer have to worry that they're breaking the law by using or even owning what the SAFE act would consider an illegal assault weapon, Collins said.

SAGA would not cover handguns.

What our governor has done through the SAFE Act is try to define rifles and shotguns as assault weapons," he said. "I would challenge the governor or anyone else to even find a true definition of what an assault weapon is, because it doesn’t exist."

State Sen. Rich Funke, R-Perinton, said during Collins' news conference near Rochester that upstate and downstate New Yorkers live different lives.

"(SAGA) may very well be the answer we need to restore the freedoms upstate New Yorkers have enjoyed for centuries," he said, likely a reference to hunters.

Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren issued a statement Monday afternoon backing Cuomo's side of the debate.

"We are working hard to take illegal guns off the street," Warren said. "I urge Congress to reject this dangerous legislation and I look forward to continuing to stand with Governor Cuomo in his efforts to make our streets and neighborhoods safer."

The pro-gun community believes it’s in a good place to pass legislation, with a GOP-led Congress and a president who regularly talks about protecting Second Amendment rights. In February, President Trump signed a law overturning a rule barring gun ownership for some who have been deemed mentally impaired.

But Congress, distracted by health care and nominations, hasn’t gotten to the National Rifle Association’s top priority: legislation to nationalize concealed carry permits.

More:Shooting at congressional baseball practice reignites gun debate

More:New York Rep. Chris Collins to carry gun after baseball shooting

A House committee had to cancel a hearing on legislation to deregulate gun silencers –— another NRA priority — because of the congressional baseball shooting in June that seriously injured House Majority Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana and others. That hearing has not been rescheduled.

Rather than a tightening of gun restrictions, the shooting inspired legislation from some Republican members to make it easier for them to carry weapons. Collins, who was not at the June 14 baseball practice, told a Buffalo television station in June that he had decided to carry his gun with him everywhere as a result of the shooting.

"I have a carry permit," he told WKBW-TV. "On a rare occasion I’d have my gun in the glove box or something, but it’s going to be in my pocket from this day forward."

Still, it’s unclear when gun legislation could become a priority when health care, tax reform and appropriations are high on the congressional agenda. But Collins made a point to mention on Monday, fitting right in with the crowd at a shooting range, that he has had a permit to carry a handgun for more than 30 years.

"I have a lot of confidence we’ll get this over the finish line, and I know it’s going to drive the governor absolutely crazy because we’re calling him out for another unconstitutional move," Collins said.

JDIVERON@Gannett.com

Includes reporting by Nicole Gaudiano of USA Today.