Perhaps not wanting to repeat the PR disaster that was the Colorado Sheriffs full-throated opposition to gun control bills in Colorado, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is reportedly seeking to squash the dissent coming from Sheriffs in the Empire State.

Reports the Albany Times-Union:

The sheriffs thought they were being summoned to the Capitol to discuss ideas for changes to New York’s gun control law, the SAFE Act. Instead, Gov. Andrew Cuomo told them to keep quiet.

Opposition to the new law has simmered in upstate areas since Cuomo signed the law in January. Many county sheriffs oppose it, particularly its expanded definition of banned assault weapons, and have spoken out around the state. In January, the New York State Sheriffs’ Association wrote Cuomo with an analysis, and later suggested tweaks.

Cuomo invited its leaders to the Capitol last month, people briefed on the meeting said. The group included Sheriffs’ Association Executive Director Peter Kehoe and Chemung County Sheriff Christopher Moss.

“We didn’t get a response (to the analysis) from him, but we could tell after the budget was passed that none of those recommendations were taken into consideration,” Moss said. “When we got there, we never got to the contents of the letter.”

Instead, Cuomo pushed the sheriffs to stop publicly speaking out against the act, Moss said.

“The governor was of the opinion that the sheriffs around the state should not be interjecting their personal opinions in reference to the law,” Moss said, adding that Cuomo said sheriffs can’t do that and enforce the law.

There are many similarities between Colorado and New York on the gun control issue. As in Colorado, the Sheriffs in New York are opposed to the gun control legislation that was rushed through the legislature with little public input.

And just like Colorado, the Sheriffs in New York are suing to overturn the legislation.

Back in March we noted the fact that Hickenlooper and Cuomo had become the unpopular face of gun control, something that our sources report riled Hickenlooper’s high command. The week prior Hick’s staff had orchestrated a press hit, with an indirect insult of Cuomo, seeking to distance Colorado’s governor from the chief executive of New York.

Unfortunately for both Cuomo and Hickenlooper, no matter how much the two rumored 2016 contenders try to define their own identities their gun control stances have attached them at the hip — the awkward congenital twins of gun grabbing.