Joseph Spector is reporting for the Democrat & Chronicle the state Legislature Mar. 4, passed a bill intended to prevent kids from having access to guns in their homes. Under the measure, gun owners can be criminally charged if a weapon is not safely stored. “Despite all our progress, it is still simply too easy for guns to fall into the wrong hands,” said the bill's sponsor, Assemblymember Amy Paulin of Westchester County. The law would apply to gun owners with children under the age of 16 residing in the home. It requires that any rifle, shotgun or firearm be secured in an "appropriate safe storage depository" or be rendered incapable of being fired with a gun-locking device. The bill would also require individuals to safely store their guns when children are present in their homes, even if the kids do not live there. Republicans criticized the bill, saying it would make it difficult for gun owners to use their weapons if their homes are being attacked. They said the gun owners would have to go to different places to retrieve their guns and ammunition. They also claimed the bill is unconstitutional, saying it impedes a person’s ability to act in their own self defense. Read the full story in the Democrat & Chronicle.