Gun Politics New York

Even more press from Jan. 12:

• Poughkeepsie Journal, “Gun owners fire first shot at awareness rally”
  

  “… I’ve been in and out of Albany now for nearly 30 years. I’ve attended dozens of rallies, meetings and conferences associated with sport hunting and fishing, conservation and environmental issues, as well as guns, gun ownership and the Second Amendment. I do not recollect at any time during those years seeing 2,000 sportsmen and women crammed into the confines of “The Well” of the LOB …”

• Star-Gazette, “Outdoorsmen bring concerns to Albany”
  

  “… As many as 2,000 sportsmen and women showed up at the Legislative Office Building in Albany, according to estimates of those who were on hand. It was a great opportunity to show lawmakers that people who hunt and fish are passionate about their traditions and Second Amendment rights. It’s an important message to get across, especially with lawmakers who didn’t grow up with that heritage, [Assemblyman Tom] O’Mara said. “We had members from across the aisle who were down checking out the expo and talking to people. So hopefully it doesn’t fall completely on deaf ears,” he said. “When you get to the New York City contingent it gets difficult. They live in a completely different world than we do.” …”

• Press Republican, “Sportsmen rally in Albany”
  

  “… “I’m amazed by the number of people who have shown up here today,” said local Assemblywoman Teresa Sayward, who is part of the Sportsmen’s Caucus of legislators. “I’ve seen some of the folks from the Democrat conference here circling around today. So, I think this can be very beneficial and I hope that we can do something like this here every year.” …”

Wayne LaPierre’s speech from Jan. 12 in the Well of the Legislative Office Building.  Behind him are Nancy Calhoun, Marc Butler,  David Towsend and George Amedore.

Excerpts from Mayor Mike’s State of the City address:

“… This year, we’ll continue finding new ways to target high-crime areas, illegal guns, domestic batterers. as well as the repeat low-level offenders who threaten our quality of life. We’ve come so far in creating the safest big City in the nation, and we aren’t going to let anything or anyone stop our progress …”

“… We’ll start by conducting a detailed assessment of all city, state, and federal funding for youth services and we’ll work to connect the people and organizations that are tackling these issues so we can better coordinate our efforts. After all, the New Yorkers in groups like Million Moms Against Gun Violence want the same thing as the cop on the beat and the social worker and by bringing these groups and other groups closer together, we believe we can make a real difference …”

Gov. Paterson’s budget proposal calls for $134 billion in spending, up 0.6% from last year.  This is what passes for fiscal responsibility in New York.  I don’t see anything about increasing pistol license fees or scrapping COBIS.