Katz Hosts SAFE Act Forum, Draws Big Crowd in Carmel
With gun advocates still angered, and possibly uninformed over New York State’s SAFE Act, Assemblyman Steve Katz hosted an information forum about the new law last Tuesday night.
With a packed house at the Paladin Center in Carmel, information about the almost year old law was presented, but there was also plenty of frustration expressed over the law that has puts a tighter restrictions on purchasing and owning guns and ammunition. The law was passed on Jan. 15 of this year as a result of the school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School that left 26 people dead.
Other local officials were part of the forum in order to help the more that 100 people in attendance understand the law.
Katz said in an interview later in the week the forum was to educate and update people who might not have a full grasp on the bill.
“I think the law is very ambiguous in many respects,” Katz said. “And for that reason a lot of people have very specific questions regarding their own situation or what it will mean to them.”
When asked what the most important part of the law is for people to know, Katz replied, “I think that it is a completely ill-conceived, hastily constructed law that does nothing to address the problem that we have in New York and the ownership and violence associated with illegally acquired guns.”
Katz went on to say the law only restricts law-abiding firearms owners and when it was originally passed, it was done too quickly, which prevented representatives from getting input from their constituents.
“(Governor Andrew Cuomo) was being a bully to the legislature and a coward to the people of the state of New York,” Katz added.
Currently, there is Assembly Bill 5955 authored by Katz that would authorize a full repeal of the SAFE Act. He also pointed out there are two cases in court right now challenging the constitutionality of the law.
“I think the entire thing is an encroachment and a restriction on nobody but legal gun owners,” Katz said.
Also on hand at the forum was Putnam County executive MaryEllen Odell and county clerk Dennis Sant, who both reiterated their fight against The Journal News and the newspaper’s legal challenge to obtain the records of pistol permit owners in the county.
As a result, The Journal News, which published a controversial gun map last winter, has sued the county for denying two Freedom of Information requests and a subsequent appeal.
Sant said after a most recent request was denied about three weeks ago, the county was then served with the lawsuit.
“They didn’t have any other options,” Sant said about the Gannett Company suing the county for the records.
Odell said the county has “all intention of fighting” against the suit, but admitted some residents might argue the county is wasting tax dollars on the lawsuit.
“I want to get in front of that and let everyone know we will use all the resources in house,” Odell said. “And we are working with volunteers that have experience in this situation regarding the 2nd amendment and taking their advice along with us as we continue the fight.”
