Wednesday marks the first anniversary of New York's SAFE Act, a controversial gun law passed by lawmakers and signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo a year ago in the wake of the Newtown, Conn., school massacre.

The day will come and go without a key component of the law going into effect.

Wednesday was originally supposed to trigger a requirement that buyers of ammunition go through background checks before purchasing bullets or shells.

Gun dealers are then supposed to keep records on the sales.

But the deadline has turned out to be a moving target and is delayed until further notice.

The vague timetable for requiring background checks was first reported by the Times Union in October and it was made official around the start of January through a letter to the public from State Police Superintendent Joseph D'Amico posted on a website outlining the new law.

"The state database is currently under construction and not operational, and prior notice will be given to all sellers on a timely basis before the database is completed and any requirements are relevant," reads the recently added statement on the SAFE Act site (http://www.governor.ny.gov/nysafeact/gun-reform).

News of the delay came as no surprise to gun dealers who late last year suspected that was the case when they noticed they hadn't received any details about the background check mandate from the State Police, who are charged with enforcing the new law.

That hadn't changed as of Tuesday.

"We've received nothing in print from the state yet," said Dave Beecroft, who operates Beecroft's Shooters Supply in Schaghticoke.

There are, however, other changes effective Wednesday, including a new requirement that ammunition purchases over the Internet go through a licensed gun dealer rather than directly from the vendor.

Additionally, those who own magazines that can hold more than 10 rounds as of Wednesday are supposed to get rid of them or modify them so the limit is 10.

It wasn't clear how many of those large-capacity magazines are out there, but some shooting enthusiasts predict that few gun owners will immediately comply.

"I suspect there are going to be an awful lot of people who simply ignore it," said Stephen Aldstadt, a gun rights activist with SCOPE, or Shooters Committee on Political Education.

rkarlin@timesunion.com • 518-454-5758 • @RickKarlinTU