By Tom Precious
ALBANY -- It may be a political killer for some of his GOP colleagues in upstate conservative districts, but the Senate's top Republican praised the gun control deal he helped negotiate with lawmakers in both houses and Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
"It is well-balanced. It protects the Second Amendment,'' said Senate co-leader Dean Skelos, a Nassau County Republican.
Skelos defended the measure that many of his upstate Republican senators, who get support from gun rights groups, including the National Rifle Association, said the bill's chief focus is on illegal gun use. "This is going to put people in jail and keep people in jail who shouldn't be out on the street in the first place,'' Skelos said.
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