All about guns, legislation and politics in New York
NYAGV Boardmember Justin Wagner is looking to run against Greg Ball again in SD-40.
Despite having lost on the issue in ’12 and watched Noam Bramson go down by 10 points last year, Wagner still believes gun control is a winning issue. Here is his first ad:
It was my belief that Ed Cox planned on ignoring gun issues for the ’14 elections and would have candidates focus solely on economics. Is he reconsidering that position?
“State Republican Party Chair Ed Cox has a message for his partisans: Don’t let Gov. Andrew Cuomo or his minions “strong-arm” you into endorsing him. According to an accompanying release, Cox put his thoughts into a letter sent “to Republicans who are being targeted and pressured by Andrew Cuomo to endorse him in 2014 …” … In a cynical political maneuver to become the first executive in America to pass gun control in the wake of the Newtown tragedy, Andrew Cuomo forced through the legislature in the middle of the night a gun law that was so flawed that it technically turned all of our law enforcement officers into criminals …”
Perhaps he’s been reading the newspaper:
” … over the last year, and especially in the past two weeks, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has made it a point to pay special attention to the Adirondacks and the north country … If there ever was a governor intent on wooing the north country, it appears to be Gov. Cuomo. But for many north country voters, that romance already may be dead … In January 2013, the state Legislature passed a series of strict gun control laws known as the New York Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement Act … To say that the law met with criticism in the north country would be a major understatement … no amount of tax-cutting or economic proposals are going to change the minds of those voters when they enter the booth in November, Mr. Chartock said. The most politically salient point in upstate New York? “It’s guns number one, not taxes,” Mr. Chartock said …”
The anger over SAFE is hardly confined to “upstate” as we saw in last years elections in Westchester and Nassau. Nonetheless, this is a big admission from a guy like Alan Chartock who still hopes for the second coming of Mario Cuomo.
Fred Dicker upset New Yorkers Against Gun Violence today on his radio show. They tried to exploit it:
“Fred Dicker, host of “Live from the State Capitol” on Talk 1300 AM, should apologize for his comments today calling the tragic Sandy Hook shootings a “little convenient massacre.”
Twenty school children and six educators were shot and killed during the shootings in December, 2012.
NYAGV’s Executive Director, Leah Gunn Barrett, stated, “The massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary was a heartbreaking tragedy for the 26 families that lost their loved ones and for the nation as a whole. For Fred Dicker to call such an event “convenient” is shocking. Mr. Dicker should issue an immediate on-air apology to the Newtown families who lost children and loved ones on that life changing morning last December. Until he takes that step, we are calling on advertisers to stand in solidarity with the families of Newtown by boycotting media outlets that give Mr. Dicker a platform for such hateful comments including the New York Post and Talk1300AM.”
Barrett added, “Gun violence takes thousands of lives every year, causing unspeakable heartbreak and grief for families. No matter what your politics, these victims deserve our respect and support, and we as a society cannot stand idly by when their tragedies are instead offered derision and disdain.”
Their phoney indignation was caught by CapCon:
NYers Against Gun Violence calls out @fud31 for calling Newtown a "little convenient massacre," but misquotes that phrase twice in release.
— Capitol Confidential (@TUCapCon) January 13, 2014
Declared SD-41 candidates Jim Coughlan and Rob Rolison speaking at last Thursdays forum at the DCPA. The event was hosted by Senator Greg Ball and NYSRPA.
New Yorkers Against Gun Violence appears to be trying some sort of public relations stunt in the form of an op-ed, “SAFE Act protects public safety“, which has been circulated to several local newspapers in the western part of the state.
It won’t go over well with the public.
Legislative Report #11 is now online.
The state legislature returns for regular sessions on Monday, January 13.
The new Mayor of Rochester Lovely Warren wants armed security:
“… Warren has made the decision to employ an armed personal security detail. The two-man team will be on call 24/7 to guard the Mayor and provide transportation to and from her home …”
The hypocrisy must be exposed:
Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren’s decision to surround herself with an armed security detail 24/7 demonstrates the fraudulent nature of the citizen disarmament movement.
As a long time supporter of gun control dating back to her time in the Rochester City Council, last year she spoke out in favor of New York’s so-called SAFE Act stating:
“The New York SAFE Act brings a sense of comfort to many families across this state. Those families, like mine, have said not here, not anymore.”
If Mayor Warren really believes this, then there is no legitimate reason for her to have armed security because the SAFE Act makes her becoming a victim of violent crime impossible.
The New York State Rifle & Pistol Association calls upon Mayor Warren to dismiss her security and live with the same sense of comfort she advocated for city residents.
Last year Governor Cuomo went nuts with gun control in his State of the State address. This year all we got was this:
“… We said we would make New York Safer and we did. We passed common sense gun reform with the New York SAFE Act. …”
Doesn’t sound very enthusiastic does he?
.@NYGovCuomo hails enactment of the NY SAFE Act in his State of the State address. Legislation to be proud of! #NYSOS14
— NYS A/M Kavanagh (@BrianKavanaghNY) January 8, 2014
The wicked witch of Nassau is going to retire:
“Senior Democratic aides say two House Democrats — Carolyn McCarthy of New York and Mike McIntyre of North Carolina — plan to retire. McCarthy, who has served nine terms, was elected shortly after her husband was killed in a shooting on the Long Island Railroad. She has been a forceful advocate for gun control …”
She has cancer. In spite of smoking like a chimney for like 40 years, she claims asbestos exposure is the cause. I say it’s karma.