All about guns, legislation and politics in New York
A couple of weeks ago Republican Assemblyman David DiPietro acknowledged that there is SAFE Act funding in the state budget and has been since the beginning.
We’ve also covered the fact that SAFE cannot be de-funded in the budget.
Republican Senator Cathy Young did not get her story straight before speaking about this topic on the floor of the Senate.
Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn on when the reciprocity bill will be taken up in Congress:
“… “Well you know we got so much going on now it’s just it seems like there’s not much room, but my hope is later this year we can get it teed up and, of course, depending on when the House takes their version of that will help move it along, but I’m hoping sometime this year,” Cornyn said … Republicans still lack 60 votes to stop debate on any legislation and go forward to a final vote, but Cornyn thinks that voters in blue states with concealed carry could help pressure certain Democratic members to support the legislation …”
This could be problematic given that his bill S.446 has 36 sponsors with no Democrats while the House version H.R.38 has 187 sponsors only 3 of whom are Democrats.
We’re going to find out soon if Justice Neil Gorsuch is pro-gun or not as SCOTUS has two petitions pending on gun cases:
“… The most important is a petition from gun rights activists asking the court to find for the first time that the Second Amendment right to keep a gun for self-defense extends to carrying firearms outside the home. In cases from California, the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit ruled that it did not. “Any prohibition or restriction a state may choose to impose on concealed carry — including a requirement of ‘good cause,’ however defined — is necessarily allowed by the [Second] Amendment,” it said. A strongly worded dissent said “any fair reading” of the Supreme Court’s 2008 decision finding a constitutional right to gun ownership for self-defense “compels the conclusion that the right to keep and bear arms extends beyond one’s front door.” A second case involves whether those convicted of certain crimes can be barred indefinitely from possessing firearms …”
The California case is Peruta v. California which is backed by the NRA & CRPA. This is the one that could ultimately make New York shall-issue.
I believe the second case is United States v. Games-Perez.
Donald Trump, Jr. floated the idea of running for Governor next year.
What does he bring to the table?
Positives:
Negatives:
The Republicans could do a lot worse than to put him up as their candidate.
According to Assemblyman David DiPietro, there are 16 positions in the NYSP responsible for SAFE Act enforcement who answer only to the Governor and, after four years of asking, he still cannot get answer as to what exactly they do.
I know the answer: They do exactly what their boss tells them to do.
Update to my previous post, two more Democrat candidates have come forward to challenge Rob Astorino for Westchester County Executive:
Democrat disunity benefits Astorino who has to overcome the party’s enrollment advantage in the county.
When doing research on Dan Garodnick, who is considering running against de Blasio in a primary, I missed this gem he introduced to the Clown Council:
Int 1175-2016 – A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to placement of signs on all bridges and tunnels entering the City warning of the penalty for possessing a firearm.
§ 19-901 Signs regarding firearm possession. The commissioner of transportation shall post signs at each exit leading into the city, of each bridge and tunnel having only one terminus in the city, stating that the possession of any firearm by a person not licensed by the city to possess that firearm is a criminal offense that is punishable by imprisonment, as per articles 70.15 and 265 of the penal law.
I have a better idea and I know just where to put it:
The Senate just confirmed Neil Gorsuch to SCOTUS by a vote of 54-45.
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell finally had enough of Charles Schumer’s crap and eliminated the filibuster for judicial candidates. Considering the penchant for Republicans to preemptively surrender to Democrats this is a dramatic shift and hopefully a sign of good things to come.
First, there have been repeated rumors of another SCOTUS justice retiring this year. With longer any need to pander to Democrats we may get the opportunity to get another originalist justice on the court.
Second, while the legislative filibuster remains intact, Democrats may think twice about blocking popular bills just for the sake of being obstructionists. The reciprocity bill S.446 currently has 36 sponsors and probably more than 50, but less than 60, Yes votes. If allowed to the floor it will be a huge will for gun rights.
People are fleeing the state in droves:
“… More than 1 million people moved out of the New York area to another part of the country since 2010 … The number of people leaving the region — which includes parts of New Jersey, Connecticut, the lower Hudson Valley and Long Island — in one year swelled from 187,034 in 2015 to 223,423 in 2016, while the number of international immigrants settling in the tri-state area dwindled from 181,551 to 160,324 over the same period, records show …”
The means, as of right now, the state will loose at least one, possibly two votes in the electoral college after the 2020 redistricting. It also means shifting one or two Senate seats and at least three Assembly seats closer to New York City.
That should be the end of the Republicans as a major party in the state.