Cuomo Outlines Proposals for Containing Gun Violence : Crime: New York governor would severely restrict possession of weapons and limit their capacity. Asks Legislature to convene on King Day.

Gov. Mario M. Cuomo called on the state Legislature Monday to convene on Martin Luther King Day to approve a package of measures designed to reduce gun violence.

The governor’s proposals--which come in the wake of the slaying of six people earlier this month on a Long Island Rail Road commuter train--include limiting the possession of assault weapons and restricting the capacity of ammunition for handguns.

Cuomo also called for increasing penalties for gun traffickers and reducing parole eligibility for armed felons.

“Each day brings new reports from around the country of people killed or maimed by other people wielding guns,” the Democratic governor said in a letter to the Legislature’s leaders.

“Sometimes the violence is premeditated. Other times it appears triggered by the heat of anger. Often we are stunned to learn of a motivation for a shooting that is too trifling to be believed. In all cases the carnage is horrific.”

Cuomo, who has not revealed whether he will seek a fourth term next year, stressed that he would make the issue of violence a priority in his budget and in his formal message to the Legislature in January. Republican strategists believe that with heightened public concern over crime and violence, Cuomo’s opposition to the death penalty could pose potentially serious problems if he decides to run again.

Some Democratic strategists viewed the governor’s gun control proposals as being designed not only to severely limit access to certain classes of weapons, but also to strengthen his anti-crime position against proponents of the death penalty.

The series of bills proposed by Cuomo would severely restrict possession of assault weapons and would limit the capacity of rifles, pistols and shotguns. It would make magazines for pistols containing more than 10 bullets illegal. In the case of rifles and shotguns, the legal limit would be five rounds.

His proposals also would raise the penalties for the criminal sale of firearms. If a weapon is sold to someone under 18 years old, felony charges would be increased further. Under the governor’s proposals, parole would be ended for repeat armed violent offenders.

Anyone who purchases a handgun would be required to take a safety course conducted by sheriff’s offices throughout the state and by police in New York City.

There also would be penalties for the negligent storage of guns. The governor has proposed that if someone under age 18 discharges a firearm and harms himself or others, and it can be shown that the weapon was stored negligently, the gun’s owner also could face prosecution. If the weapon causes death, penalties would be increased, exposing the gun’s owner to up to seven years in prison. But a prison sentence would not be mandatory.

“The solutions to violence in America are as varied and complicated as its causes,” Cuomo said in his letter. “I am not aware of any good reasons not to enact these measures to help curb the violence with guns that our citizens are enduring.

“At the same time, we must embrace job creation, improved health care for at-risk populations and education as essential components of our crime-fighting strategy,” he continued in urging the Legislature to meet on Jan. 17.

“Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. achieved momentous change while condemning violence,” the governor said. “Through his instruction, a nation and a world learned that great wrongs can be righted through peaceful means. That is why I chose Martin Luther King Day for us to devote ourselves to taking action that will make our society more peaceful and protect us better from the dire threat of guns used violently.”