All about guns, legislation and politics in New York
Audio from yesterday’s Bill Nojay Show where he talks about lobby day and the rally. Good commentary on getting the permit and Gov. Cuomo’s efforts to undermine everything.
Legislative Report #4 is now online.
Media coverage:
How many showed up:
Biggest grass roots rally @ the NYS Capitol I’ve ever seen: “Repeal the Safe Act” tops decades of pro- con-abortion, pro- con-gay rights.
— Fredric U. Dicker (@fud31) February 28, 2013
Rochester-area Assemblyman Bill Nojay says NYState Police told him anti-gun law rally drew 12,000.
— Fredric U. Dicker (@fud31) February 28, 2013
Approximately 12,000 people showed up for lobby day today. Capitol Park was overflowing and people were waiting up to 1.5 hours to get into the Legislative Office Building. It was the largest political gathering of gun owners anywhere.
Gov. Cuomo made it a point to be as far away from Capitol as he could be. He was doing something on Long Island today. However, there is no way he could have missed it with all the local and national media coverage it received. It’s going to be hard for him and his media allies to keep saying the public overwhelmingly supports him on this issue.
Nothing short of total repeal is acceptable.
Hollywood before upstate New Yorkers: Silver suggests amending new gun law to allow actors to use ”assault weapons” in movies.
— Fredric U. Dicker (@fud31) February 27, 2013
In scrum, Sheldon Silver says NY may carve out exemptions in gun control for film productions that use gun props.
— Capital Tonight (@CapitalTonight) February 27, 2013
Cuomo says the film production exemption in gun control is under discussion
— Capital Tonight (@CapitalTonight) February 27, 2013
Politico headline, “Andrew Cuomo’s new problems: Bad headlines, Hillary Clinton“:
“Andrew Cuomo’s smooth ride as New York’s governor – high approval numbers, flattering newspaper coverage, little by way of fierce opposition – has suddenly hit a rough patch … generally positive media coverage of the governor has turned sour in recent weeks, with stories that reinforce criticism that Cuomo is too controlling and either insufficiently liberal or trying too hard to placate his skeptics on the left … a pair of countervailing narratives about Cuomo have begun to gel. The first is that because he has a problem on the left – a notion fueled by a handful of progressive commentators – he tossed out an array of liberal wish-list policies in the last few months to counter it. They included his gun control bill … That, in turn, prompted another reaction: Republicans in the northern, rural part of the state have been vocal in anger over his gun control legislation. (Cuomo initially suggested that “confiscation” was an option.) …”
And yet some media outlets continue to push the lie that his gun control law has overwhelming public support. It’s starting to stink just like I said it would.
Gun lobby day is set for this Thursday in Albany and it looks like we’re going to have a good turnout which apparently has both Obama and Cuomo worried. SEIU was planning on busing people in for a counter-protest, but that apparently has been called off. According to Fred Dicker:
“… many opponents of Cuomo’s measure viewed the SEIU rally as an attempt to provoke a confrontation. Most of SEIU’s membership is black and Hispanic, while most of the opponents of the Cuomo law are white. Advocates on both sides of the issue were concerned that any confrontation would be seen as having racial overtones. As word of the planned counter-rally spread, the Albany police and aides to Cuomo agreed there was the potential for a serious confrontation …”
While I believe there could have been some legitimate concerns over a confrontation, I do not agree at all with the racial aspects. There are several other things working against a union protest which Fred doesn’t mention that likely had a lot more do with their decision to back off:
Instead, the Obama/Cuomo/antigun cabal are going for an old standby: celebrity astroturf. According to the Daily News:
“A new coalition of activists, unions and celebrities has formed to hit back against the vocal opposition to Gov. Cuomo’s recently approved gun-reform law, sources told the Daily News … A series of public events are being planned across the Empire State to tout the advantages of the reform bill, which the Legislature approved last month. Among the celebrities said to have joined the nascent effort are hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons, actor Ed Norton and the Rev. Al Sharpton …”
Nobody is going to be impressed with those fools. Worse (for them), is the more the public finds out about SAFE, the less they like it. So more power to them.
/em
Some rumormongering on the gun boards regarding NYSP officer displeasure over the Safe Act:
“… Over 500 troopers called their union hall in the last 2 days. Their collective message is NO! If you do not speak out against this legislation or prove to us your working behind the scenes to undermine it, then we are collectively voting to with hold the political action fund and take you out of office as our reps. All brought to you by vets in the ranks, who refuse to be involved in this unconstitutional parade at the risk of their jobs …”
Interesting if true, but I’ll believe it when I see it.