Category Archives: News

Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple speaks out against SAFE Act

Albany County Sheriff speaks out against some provisions of the SAFE Act; but, he says he has no choice, but to enforce it. YNN’s Madeleine Rivera has more.

Thousands of people have criticized the SAFE Act, like the people rallying outside the Capitol last week. And, now, Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple is speaking out against it.

“People should be concerned about the lawful gun owner because that’s our God-given right,” said Apple.

Apple says he’s not against all of the provisions. He opposes some, like restricting the definition of an assault weapon to a single feature and liming the legal number of bullets to seven.

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Grand Island Town Board passes resolution against SAFE Act

The Grand Island Town Board received a hearty round of applause after passing a resolution asking New York State to suspend the SAFE Act.

“Pretty much unanimously, I think people were pretty upset about how it was passed and the lack of the debate and the lack of discussion,” Town Supervisor Mary Cooke, R-Grand Island, said.

Conservatives and gun enthusiasts were asked to come show their support and filled the town court room Monday.

“It’s ill-conceived,” Grand Island Conservative Committee Chairman Kevin Backus said. “Once again the Governor’s using a message of necessity to run something through without considering the ramifications of what’s going on.”

“We had no public input,” Tea Party Activist Russ Thompson said. “There was no public input whatsoever. So this is our opportunity, meeting like this and meetings in all the counties across the state for the people to have their voice heard.”

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Essex gun owners protest new law

Douglas has called a special Board of Supervisors meeting for March 18 to vote on the subcommittee’s resolution, with a time to be set later. Sheriff Richard Cutting will also give a presentation on the act at that session.

“We will not let it linger on, kick it under the rug; that will not happen,” Morrow said.

He said a resolution will not be done in haste, either.

“If we did that, we’d be just like the state — voting on something we know nothing about.”

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Onondaga County Legislature requests repeal of New York SAFE Act

The Onondaga County Legislature voted 14-3 today to ask the state to repeal the N.Y. SAFE Act, a recently enacted law that restricts or outlaws certain types of firearms. It was a party-line vote, with Republicans in support and Democrats against.

The vote came a day after a public hearing Monday that drew several hundred opponents of the law to the legislative chambers.

Veteran Legislator Kathleen Rapp, R-Salina, said she has seldom seen such a “one-sided response from across my entire district” to a controversial issue. Rapp said the SAFE Act produced a “visceral” response in many of her constituents.

The Legislature also voted 15-2 to voice opposition to proposed state legislation that would require gun owners to acquire liability insurance. Legislators Linda Ervin and Monica Williams voted against the measure.

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St. Lawrence County finalizes resolution against Gov Cuomo’s gun control law

The St. Lawrence County Board of Legislators tonight unanimously approved the resolution opposing the NY SAFE Act law.

Approximately thirty citizens came out to support and speak to the legislators urging them to pass the resolution and call on the state representatives and Governor Cuomo to repeal the law.

During the brief legislative debate tonight in Canton, Legislator Dan Parker (R-Potsdam) entered a resolution to change the resolution to clearly call for the SAFE Act’s repeal. Also, Legislator Kevin Acres (R-Madrid) submitted a resolution to commend the state senators and assembly members that voted against the SAFE Act in Albany. Both of those resolutions were defeated.

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Attention Ontario County

Ontario County Board Meeting this Thursday, March 7, 2013 at 6:30 pm. Please note change of location: Ontario County Safety Training Facility-2914 County Road 48-Canandaigua, NY. They are anticipating increased public attendance.

Listed under Unfinished Business:

Call up Resolution No. 58-2013 entitled “Resolution Opposing Procedure for Adoption of the New York Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement Act of 2013, As Amended”, which was laid over at the last meeting.

Read full agenda here:

North Harmony Board Opposes SAFE Act

“Ever since (the SAFE Act) was passed, everyone has been talking about it,” said Sena. “I think (Cuomo) is using an emotional situation to craft these ridiculous laws, and virtually everyone I know thinks that this (law) is ridiculous.”

During an interview, Sena wanted to be perfectly clear that he believes there are facets to the law which have the potential to do good, such as the segments related to mental health evaluation. However, as a whole, he believes the law was hastily passed – especially since it received little to no public input.

“The mental illness part and the criminal part of it – certainly most of us that support Second Amendment right … think that’s what they should really be talking about,” said Sena. “Criminals, by definition, break the law. It’s simple: They’re not going to abide by these laws. They’re not going to buy a gun legally and go through a background check. They’re going to do whatever they need to do to (obtain a firearm). For example, take the .22 caliber rifle: That’s a target rifle. Those are the guns we used to use in rifle club when we were kids, and most of those come with 10-round clips. Manufacturers don’t even make seven-round clips for most of these firearms. It just seems so excessive, since New York already had a 10-round maximum. What it does is make almost every gun owner in New York a criminal.”

Sena added that the law does not have an exemption clause in it for police officers, which means that every officer who uses a handgun on the job that carries more than seven rounds is also breaking the law.

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Elbridge calls for repeal of NY SAFE Act

The Elbridge Town Board passed a resolution on Feb. 28 calling for Governor Cuomo to repeal the New York Safe Act.

The New York Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement Act of 2013 gives New York State the most comprehensive gun laws in the nation. It includes tougher assault weapons bans, stronger regulations on ammunition and statewide re-certification of handguns and assault rifles.

The Elbridge Town Board said that the law is “flawed” and affecting the ability of state and local law enforcement to perform their duties. They also claimed the act violates citizen’s Second Amendment rights.

The resolution ended by saying that “the law will have no affect on the Criminally Insane or the people of this State that wish to do harm onto others with the use of a Firearm.”

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Guest Viewpoint: N.Y. infringes on gun owners, mentally ill

As the executive director of The Mental Health Association in Tompkins County, a concealed-carry pistol permit license holder in New York, a lifelong resident of New York, a lifetime member of the North American Hunting Club, and a lifetime sportsman license holder in New York, I am appalled by the NY SAFE Act.

My official position as the executive director is that this new law has effectively removed many of the rights of the mentally ill. Thousands of people now must consider risking revocation or suspension of civil liberties in regard to gun ownership/hunting and mental health treatment. A veteran of the U.S. military who returns from overseas with PTSD or some other mental illness will be told that he or she can no longer possess weapons or ammunition? This new law suggests that all individuals who suffer from mental illness are criminals. The truth is that persons with mental illness are far more likely to be victims of crime than they are to perpetrate it.

Extending Kendra’s Law increased the amount of time that individuals can be forced into treatment for their mental illness. Many clinicians are reluctant to hospitalize or force treatment of individuals against their will because they’re sensitive to the individual’s rights. By extending that time period to a year, clinicians could be wearier[sic] than they were before.

This new law is so immoral, unethical and discriminating that I’m ashamed to say I live here.

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Columbia County committee calls for repeal of NY SAFE Act

The County Government Committee of the Columbia County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution on Tuesday calling for the repeal of the NY Safe Act passed by the State Legislature last month.

The committee voted 6-2 in favor, with supervisors Jesse DeGroodt, NOP-Chatham, Thomas Garrick, R-Gallatin, Ron Knott, R-Stuyvesant, Kevin McDonald, R-Livingston, Matt Murell, R-Stockport and Raymond Staats, D-Clermont voting in support. Voting against the measure were supervisors Edward Cross, D-Hudson2 and Ellen Thurston, D-Hudson3.

The resolution, which would still need to be passed by the full Board of Supervisors, states that the NY SAFE Act will curtail the Second Amendment right of citizens to bear arms, and takes issue with the legislation for having been “approved with scant public notice, very little public debate or review by state lawmakers.”

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