New bipartisan coalition running the state Senate faces major issue next week stemming from the Sandy Hook massacre

New bipartisan coalition running the state Senate faces major issue next week stemming from the Sandy Hook massacre -The new bipartisan coalition running the state Senate could face its first major test next week in the wake of the Connecticut school shooting. The five breakaway Democrats who will work with the Republicans to jointly run the chamber next year will be under intense pressure from the Democratic conference to push through some kind of gun control measure — an issue the governor has said would be a priority next year. But Republicans — who will have equal say on what legislation makes it to the floor for a vote — have long blocked such measures, maintaining New York already has some of the strictest gun laws on the books. “This can be the issue that breaks this coalition,” predicted veteran Democratic consultant Hank Sheinkopf. “It can create a problem that they can’t overcome.”