Buchwald Slams Castelli on Gun Votes
The Democratic challenger in the 93rd Assembly District race slammed Republican incumbent Robert Castelli on Saturday afternoon for voting against tighter gun legislation four times since being elected to the state legislature in 2010.
David Buchwald, who will face Castelli in November, criticized the assemblyman for his opposition each of the past three sessions to the domestic violence escalation prevention act. Supporters of the legislation contend the measure would prevent incidents from increasing in frequency and intensity by making it more difficult for perpetrators with a history of domestic violence from obtaining guns.
Buchwald also slammed Castelli for voting against the so-called microstamping bill in June that would have required all semiautomatic pistols manufactured starting in 2014 to have a unique alpha-numeric or geometric code appear at least twice on each cartridge case. The code would make it easier for authorities to identify the make, model and serial number of the firearm, he said.
“There are some votes that tell you a lot about your representatives,” Buchwald said while surrounded by a group of supporters outside New Castle Town Hall in Chappaqua. “This was a crucial test of Assemblyman Castelli’s commitment to Westchester values and he flunked that test.”
All four votes easily passed the Democratically-controlled Assembly but failed to reach the floor of the Senate.
Buchwald said that Castelli is out of step with most county residents regarding gun control. He said the incumbent was the only member of the Assembly from Westchester to oppose the domestic violence bill, although a check of the tally from the 2011 vote revealed that Assemblyman Stephen Katz, a Yorktown resident whose district also includes parts of Putnam County, also was against the measure.
In saying that Castelli’s “been siding with the NRA against our families and our law enforcement professionals,” Buchwald came out swinging for the first time in what had been a tame campaign since the challenger, a White Plains councilman, secured the Democratic nomination in the spring.
The stinging criticism was met by a quick and sharp response from the Castelli campaign. In a release a few hours after the press conference, Castelli defended his vote, stating that the domestic violence bills were flawed because it would have still allowed perpetrators convicted of domestic violence misdemeanor offenses to purchase guns.
Castelli, a retired state trooper and former professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, said the sometimes controversial microstamping bill would be ineffective and could force the state’s gun manufacturers to leave the state.
“As a public servant who spent my entire career in law enforcement and higher education as it relates to criminal justice, I know first-hand how domestic violence and abuse are far more prevalent than many realize,” Castelli said. “That is why I have fought not only for stricter penalties for abusers, but also for laws that focus on preventing these heinous crimes and protecting victims in an effort to curb domestic violence.”
He pointed to legislation that he supported this year and signed in to law by Gov. Andrew Cuomo which will strengthen the state’s domestic violence law.
The assemblyman’s spokesman, Dean Travalino, issued a press release a few hours after the press conference claiming that violent crime has increased 50 percent in White Plains since Buchwald has served on the city council. He cited White Plains PBA statistics in making the claim.
“No wonder he wants to distract voters from his atrocious record on crime by running a negative campaign of lies and distortions,” Travalino said of Buchwald.
After the press conference, Buchwald said he would be best suited to join Gov. Andrew Cuomo in tightening the state’s gun laws. His campaign manager, Barry Caro, said that the governor is expected to push for an omnibus bill next year that could include these measures and other proposed legislation aimed at tackling the gun issue.
Later in the day, Caro fired back against Castelli and his handlers
“We’re glad that Assemblyman Castelli acknowledges that he voted to allow someone convicted of domestic violence to possess a gun,” Caro said. “For all of his spokesman’s references to different bills that don’t actually address this issue, it’s important to note that this crucial fact is not in dispute.”
He also said nearly every major law enforcement agency supports the microstamping bill while accusing Castelli of “selective editing” of White Plains crime statistics to make it seem as though major crime is increasing there.
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/
