All about guns, legislation and politics in New York
S-7343 has been introduced to Senate Codes extending the pistol license recertification deadline through March.
There is no Assembly version. The Times Telegram says Assemblyman Marc Butler plans on introducing a bill, but it is unclear if it will be a companion or separate legislation.
The Westchester County Board of Legislators elected their new chairman:
“Ben Boykin of White Plains was elected chairman of the Westchester County legislature in a 13-3 vote Monday … The new chairman said his two-year term will be marked by a progressive legislative agenda … Priorities include a bill banning gun shows on county-owned properties, making a law out of an executive order Latimer signed in his second day in office …”
That will make it much harder to bring them back once George Latimer eventually leaves office. I’m sure there are private facilities that could host them, but the County Center was in a great location in White Plains with plenty of parking and close to Metro North.
Wednesday’s Newsbits:
State of Politics reports that Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie backs a ban on “bump stocks”:
“… Lax gun laws are the reason handguns, bump stocks and military-grade assault rifles are crossing state lines and finding their way into our communities. We must take action as a state to curb this deadly pipeline …”
This is a phony non-issue, but that won’t stop antis from pushing the issue.
Heastie co-sponsors A-8717 which currently sits in Codes. Senate companion is S-6918 which is somewhat unusual in that it has a Republican sponsor and Democrat co-sponsor. This is the one they’re likely to try and move. Alternate version is A-8913/S-6902.
Monday’s Newsbits:
Govenor Cuomo swore in George Latimer as Westchester County Executive yesterday and brought up gun control:
“… Cuomo also used the opportunity Sunday to take a swipe at Republican lawmakers in Washington and warn that New York is in the midst of dark times. “They’re making statements about who we are as a people, who we are as a society, what our character consists of, how we treat one another. They’re trying to take decades of process and civil rights and human rights and roll it all back … They want to roll back our gun safety laws. All across the board,” Cuomo said …”
“… The Republican Party candidates are running against the SAFE Act — it was voted for by moderate Republicans who run the Senate! Their problem is not me and the Democrats; their problem is themselves. Who are they? Are they these extreme conservatives who are right-to-life, pro-assault-weapon, anti-gay? Is that who they are? Because if that’s who they are and they’re the extreme conservatives, they have no place in the state of New York, because that’s not who New Yorkers are …”
Thursday’s Newsbits:
Election connections.
Re-certification shitshow.
Former Erie County Executive Joel Giambra announced his intention to seek the GOP nomination for Governor.
Giambra is a former Democrat who ran as a Republican for two terms as Erie CE. He is positioning himself as a “moderate.”
What does he bring to the table?
On the upside:
On the downside:
On 2A, the only thing I can recall about Giambra is that back in ’06 he wanted approval from the state legislature to tack a $5 fee on pistol licenses. Whether this was because he is antigun or because the county needed the money can be debated.
Governor Cuomo introduced his latest gun control schemes at yesterday’s State of the State address.
I don’t see new bills yet on his proposals. The state legislature returns to regular session on Monday.