Sheriff Chris Moss’ acceptance speech at last weeks GOP convention where he accepted the Lt. Governor nomination. He brings up the SAFE Act starting at the 5:16 mark.
Bipartisan support (B.S.) for background checks
Politico posts, “Bipartisan support for background checks“:
“A majority of likely voters in swing congressional districts and states this year support stricter background checks on gun purchasers, and the support spans both parties, a new POLITICO poll finds. Seventy-nine percent of those surveyed would support tougher measures while 21 percent are opposed … “
Nobody believes this.
“… The poll, designed by SocialSphere and conducted by the research firm GfK, surveyed 867 likely voters between May 2 and 13, in places with highly competitive midterm contests …”
Ok. How many candidates in those districts are running on gun control platforms?
<crickets chirping>
Remington moving AR-15 and 1911 production
Remington is moving production of AR-15s and 1911 pistols out of Illion to the new Alabama facility this summer. Predicted job loss of 100-150 with no guarantee of jobs in Alabama for existing Remington employees.
Forbes gets it half right with their headline, “America’s Oldest Gun Maker Thumbs Its Nose At A Two-Faced Senator.” No word from Gov. Cuomo yet on this.
Team Astorino making waves
Rob Astorino made a good choice in picking Chris Moss. He isn’t afraid to speak his mind:
“… In his speech to the GOP delegates here in Westchester County, Moss pledged to push for a repeal of the SAFE Act, a 2013 gun control law that is deeply opposed by firearms owners and the base of the Republican Party in New York …”
Even better, Team Astorino seems to be distancing themselves from the party-hacks and RINOs who want to go along with Gov. Cuomo rather than offering a competing vision:
“… Another audio clip in the Republican video was Cuomo’s impassioned defense of his gun-control law a month after the Newtown tragedy. The intended effect of the video is to make Cuomo sound like a ranting, rabid anti-gun advocate …”
This shows they actually went out and asked real people what they thought about the issues, as opposed to the Long Island Senate RINOs who vote according to the biased Siena polling they conduct.
Astorino-Moss ticket
Rob Astorino has picked Chemung County Sheriff Christopher Moss to be his running mate.
Moss has been a vocal critic of the SAFE Act:
“… Cuomo pushed the sheriffs to stop publicly speaking out against the act, Moss said. “The governor was of the opinion that the sheriffs around the state should not be interjecting their personal opinions in reference to the law,” Moss said, adding that Cuomo said sheriffs can’t do that and enforce the law. One person briefed on the meeting said Cuomo threatened to remove sheriffs from office, a little-used power afforded the state’s chief executive under the state constitution. Moss would not confirm this. He did say the meeting was heated at times, but overall he described it as “cordial.” …”
It’s good that Astorino has picked someone outside the Ed Cox/Al D’Amato/Dean Skelos clown cabal.
$2.1 billion
How much has the SAFE Act cost New York?
According to the NSSF, $2.1 billion.
Good thing New York is Open for Business.
According Ted, SAFE is working
According to Senator Ted O’Brien, the SAFE Act is working:
“… on the SAFE Act gun control law, O’Brien said there may be aspects that could be improved, but most of its provisions are reasonable. “I personally think the SAFE Act is working,” O’Brien said …”
Ok. Then campaign on it.
He is up against a well-known opponent Rich Funke and is one of the more vulnerable Democrats in the Senate. If O’Brien really believes this then he ought to make it a signature issue in his re-election campaign.
Prediction: because he is a hunter, he tries Fudd pandering saying SAFE doesn’t affect “sportsmen.”
States supporting lawsuit against SAFE Act
Twenty-two states have filed an amicus brief in support of NYSRPA’s lawsuit against the SAFE Act:
Media coverage:
It’s all about priorities
Teri Weaver at the Post-Standard asks, which was debated longer on the Senate floor: a bill making yogurt the official state snack or the SAFE Act?
The yogurt debate took 44 minutes. SAFE was done in less than 30.
GOP legislators lying about SAFE funding
From the NY Post, “GOP lawmakers mad over ‘hidden’ gun-control funding in state budget“:
“Pro-gun GOP lawmakers are smoking mad that they voted for millions of dollars in funding for the SAFE Act — the state’s strict gun-control law — claiming they didn’t know the spending was hidden in state budget bills. As part of the newly adopted state budget, legislators approved the reappropriation of $28 million to fund a gun database and another $3.2 million in new money for SAFE Act staff. Two GOP senators blasted the maneuver. “We were told there was no funding for it. If there was, I would have voted against it,” said one senator, who requested anonymity. Several Assembly GOP lawmakers said they knew only about the gun-law funding after a state Budget Division briefing.”
Bullshit.
The Assembly openly debated this funding on the chamber floor in public session. Everybody knew the money was there. Proof of this can be found in the April 11 edition of the Adirondack Daily Enterprise, “Stec warns against state gun database“:
“Assemblyman Dan Stec is warning against a provision in the state budget which would fund a state database for gun records, required by last year’s Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement Act. Stec, a Republican from Queensbury, objects to a $3.2 million allocation in the budget to implement the database. That line item falls within a provision that gives state police $88.9 million for technical police service programs. The state gave $27.7 million for a SAFE Act database last year, according to news reports …”