Newsbits
Monday’s Newsbits:
- About 30,000 Erie Co. pistol permit holders still need to recertify
- Pistol permit recertification backlog a ‘nightmare,’ says county clerk
- Calls for Safe Act Recertification Deadline Extension
- Eye on NY: DeFrancisco ‘rapidly approaching’ decision on NY governor’s race
- Molinaro not ruling out being on GOP ticket: source
- Taking aim at guns and domestic violence
- Will This Smart Gun Solve America’s Gun Problem?
Cuomo on who New Yorkers are
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 …”
Newsbits
Thursday’s Newsbits:
Election connections.
Re-certification shitshow.
Giambra announces gubernatorial bid
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:
- Has a degree of credibility having served 10 years as City of Buffalo Comptroller and 8 years as Erie County Executive.
- Might appeal to Democrats and “moderates” having previously represented a Democrat-majority district.
On the downside:
- Is buds with Pothole Al.
- Was at the helm during the county’s fiscal crisis of ’05.
- Does the New York GOP really need another “moderate”?
- Little to no name recognition outside WNY.
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.
Cuomo’s proposals
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.
Newsbits
Wednesday’s Newsbits:
- Armed Citizen (sadly does not possess NYC handgun license) – Brooklyn woman shoots ex in neck after he kicked her door in
- Increasing hid gun regulation divides NY leaders
- The gun debate should be more than the NRA
- George Latimer bans Westchester County Center gun shows with executive order
- Editorial: Pentagon must comply with gun database rules
- North Country assemblyman warns pistol permit holders failure to recertify in January can mean loss of permit
- SAFE Act nuances alarm lawmakers
- Woes Deepen for New York G.O.P. as Best Hope to Challenge Cuomo Bows Out
Wilson declines
Businessman Harry Wilson has decided not to run for Governor this year.
Media reports cite family concerns, but I suspect the real reason is Wilson knows the New York GOP is not functioning as a political entity. They’re basically giving Governor Cuomo (another) free pass this time around.
Newsbits
New Year’s Day Newsbits:
Deadline approaches
The deadline for pistol license re-certification is January 31.
By any measure, only a small portion of the 1+ million license holders have done so. I have seen estimates of around 25%. I did mine months ago and it took like 1.5 – 2 months for NYSP to process it. There are going to be a lot of unhappy people in the near future.
Newly elected Monroe Co. Sheriff Todd Baxter sums it up:
“… There’s no process in place for when D-Day comes and your permit is revoked. There’s just no process for the recovery of weapons. Everybody in Albany is confused. I implore New York state to come up with come guidance in this area …”
Don’t hold your breath waiting on that happening.
On a somewhat unrelated, but timely, Tweet from Fred Dicker:
Anybody hear anything of consequence from John Flanagan in months?An idea, a proposal, a suggestion, a comment, a vision, a program, a platform?
— Fredric U. Dicker (@fud31) January 1, 2018
Nope, not a peep from him nor any of the other Republican “leaders” in the legislature.