AS BRE pointed out different states have different gun laws. I understand that New York State has some of the toughest in the country
Have to say this still sounds stupid.
The smugglers could rent a pickup for the price of a flight and drive 10x or more guns to NYC without fear of detection. Did they have a 24 hour delivery guarantee?
Given the state of paranoia prevalent here in the land of the free, I would expect this to be soon characterized as a government ploy to further crack down on travel freedom.