New York Republican on gun control: Hitler would be proud of Gov. Cuomo

A New York state assemblyman apologized Tuesday for comparing Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo to the infamous 20th century dictators Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini.

At a press conference, Republican Assemblyman Steve McLaughlin said Cuomo acted like a dictator by pushing a gun control bill through the New York legislature last month.

"We had been there since 9am, it's now eleven at night and we're told basically to shut up and vote," he explained. "And that's what this is all about. Just don't question it, vote. That's basically the message here. If that's not dictatorial I don't know what is. Hitler would be proud. Mussolini would be proud of what we did here. Moscow would be proud, but that's not democracy."

When questioned by a reporter, McLaughlin insisted Cuomo was "Mussolini-like" and then compared the governor to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The new gun control law prohibits assault weapons and limits magazine sizes to seven rounds. It also requires a background check on all gun purchases, including private sales.

Later that day, McLaughlin uploaded a video to YouTube to announce that he regretted his comments.

"I made an analogy that I should not have made and I am very, very sorry about that," he said.

Watch video, uploaded to YouTube by New York Now, below: