Full story on NY2A Grassroots Coalition
The chorus of law enforcement agencies, unions, individual officers and other representatives opposed to the NY SAFE Act grows louder each week.
And it isn’t just upstate voices singing that song. One of the latest additions to the choir is Thomas Tatarian, president of the Suffolk County Police Conference.
Last Thursday’s monthly meeting of the Jefferson Town Board began with the reading of a letter from community member Hans Hall encouraging board members to represent the people of Jefferson and send a letter to the governor opposing the SAFE Act. Hall’s call for action in opposing the controversial new law was supported by a petition submitted by Marc Lawrence, which included the signatures 93 Jefferson residents.
Supervisor Dan Singletary said he agreed with Hall’s opinion and those of the residents who signed the petition opposing the law and believed the town should join other municipalities in calling for its repeal. He suggested the town board approve a similar resolution to the one passed by the Schoharie County Board of Supervisors in February, opposing the process of enactment and certain provisions contained within the new law.
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Board members unanimously voted in favor of passing a resolution supporting the one passed at the county level. Singletary said that resolution would be completed this week and sent to the county and all elected town representatives, both at the state and federal level.
SAFE ACT: Supervisor Wadsworth handed out the latest updates to the SAFE Act to the Board. Councilwoman Irwin asked if other Towns in the county were moving slowly on this. Supervisor Wadsworth said that yes, they were; our surrounding Towns were taking their time to review and alter the SAFE Act. Councilman Wrubel corrected a spelling error, adding an “e” to the word ”infringe” in paragraph two and also capitalizing the “T” in the word “This”, also in paragraph two. Councilman Taylor moved and Councilwoman Irwin seconded the motion to approve the corrections and alterations of the SAFE Act and to adopt the Act as presented. Motion passed with voting as follows: Wadsworth-aye; Taylor-aye;Wrubel-aye; Irwin-aye. Nays: None.
The Town of Crawford has added their voices to the growing clamor against the New York Secure Ammunition and Firearms Act recently signed into law by Governor Andrew Cuomo in response to the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.
“Too often politicians rush to pass laws in response to events,” said Crawford Town Supervisor Charles Carnes. “More laws are not necessarily needed and we should enforce what is already law and only make changes that are necessary.”
Carnes’ sentiments were echoed by the Crawford Town Board, which recently voted unanimously (5-0) to pass a resolution “to support the Second Amendment.”
That resolution stated, in part, that the legislation infringes on the right to keep and bear arms and “would ban the possession and use of firearms now employed by individual citizens of the Town of Crawford for defense of Life, Liberty and Property and would ban the possession and use of firearms now employed for safe forms of firearms recreation, hunting and shooting conducted within the Town of Crawford.”
New York’s Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement Act – better known as the SAFE Act – has an opponent in the Newfield Town Council.
On Thursday night, the Newfield Town Council added its name to a growing list of New York municipalities that have urged the state to repeal the controversial legislation that was passed in January. The council voted unanimously in opposing the SAFE Act on the grounds that the law was rushed through the state legislature and passed with little public input. The approved town resolution states that the SAFE Act ultimately fails to address the apparent legal leniency granted to those who commit gun crimes.
Newfield requests the state replace the SAFE Act with reasonable legislation that doesn’t infringe on Second Amendment rights or push enforcement costs down to the local level.
The Pierrepont town board voted unanimously to pass a resolution opposing the SAFE Act.
Town Supervisor Thomas E. Latimer said he has been approached by numerous citizens asking the town to oppose Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s gun control legislation.
“We’ve been asked to pass a resolution opposing the SAFE Act,” he said.
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The resolution was passed prior to a planned presentation from Will Gray, a local gun rights activist who has been traveling to town and village board meetings and encouraging municipalities to pass resolutions opposing the bill.
“I actually came with copies of resolutions and the SAFE Act to try and convince you to repeal the SAFE Act,” Mr. Gray said. “And you guys already did it. You are amazing. This is the easiest talk I’ve ever given.”
While Mr. Gray said he’s not sure if the law will actually be overturned, he did say the more opposition it receives the better.
“The more towns and villages we can get on board, the better off we’ll be,” he said, adding that to the best of his knowledge, St. Lawrence County, Lisbon, Colton, Norwood, Brasher and now Pierrepont have all passed such resolutions. The town of Parishville is drafting one that they are expected to pass at their next meeting.
Following the Wyoming County Board of Supervisors’ lead, the Orangeville Town Board passed a resolution calling for the recently passed NY SAFE Act to be repealed.
“This is in line with what the county has done and what many counties have done,” Orangeville Town Supervisor Gerald Stout said, citing, among other things, the haste with which the act was passed as reason to repeal.
The resolution passed unanimously without discussion from board members or residents in attendance.
The Orleans County Legislature revisited the issue of the NY SAFE Act at their April 24th meeting. They unanimously passed a resolution calling for repeal of the NY SAFE Act. Their original resolution, on February 13th, only opposed certain provisions.
According to the article, ‘Allport thanked the residents of the county who showed up at the county building about two weeks ago for a rally in opposition to the SAFE Act. He also said to his fellow legislators that they should oppose the entire act, and not just parts of it.’
Coxsackie opponents to the law have now demanded the Coxsackie Town Council do the same.
They packed the Town Hall to ask local elected officials to voice their opposition to the SAFE Act.
“This law that has been passed is illegal,” one opponent said.
Jim Lee, president of the Coxsackie Sportsmen’s Club, said his organization represents hundreds of sportsmen and gun rights activists, and said the law infringed on their rights, which are guaranteed by the Second Amendment.
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Numerous towns and counties across the state have passed similar resolutions objecting to the act.
The Coxsackie Town Council decided to do so unanimously.
“There are already laws that should be enforced,” Hobart said. “No new rules are needed. Registration of firearms leads to confiscation.”
Town Councilman Jeffery Lewis voiced his opposition to the SAFE Act.
“This is just another political ploy to get everyone in New York State riled up to see how far they can take it,” Lewis said. “What is next, a socialistic society where they can tell us what we can and can’t do every day?”
Meeting was called to order by Gerald Simcoe at 7:00 pm.
Megan Thistle, Town Clerk, will send a certified copy to all representatives listed on the Steuben County Resolution per Town Board approval.