Town of Covert resolution opposing the SAFE Act

RESOLUTION:  Governor and Legislature Set Aside and Annul the “NY SAFE ACT”

WHEREAS, New York’s Civil Rights Law, Article 2, Section 4, states “A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms cannot be infringed”: and

WHEREAS, The NY SAFE ACT’s reduction in the allowed magazine capacity of privately owned firearms from the industry standard ten rounds to only seven rounds, and classifying the most widely owned modern sporting rifles as “assault weapons” based merely on cosmetic features, are both arbitrary and capricious, and create a severe restriction on the ability of law abiding New York citizens to legally acquire firearms: and

WHEREAS, The NY SAFE ACT imposes severe restrictions on law abiding New York citizens’ right of self defense: and

WHEREAS, The NY SAFE ACT’s limitations on the Constitutional rights of law abiding citizens will not make New York residents safer: and

WHEREAS, The NY SAFE ACT effectively turns countless law-abiding New York gun owners into criminals without any reason: and

WHEREAS, Seneca County Sheriff Jack Stenberg has issued a statement critical of these restrictions placed on New York citizens’ constitutional rights by the NY SAFE ACT: and

WHEREAS, The NY SAFE ACT transfers the responsibility for our local school safety plans from our own Seneca County Sheriff to state agencies: and

WHEREAS, The Covert Town Board is in agreement with Sheriff Stenberg’s statement critical of the NY SAFE ACT: and

WHEREAS, Due to the high priority of this issue, we direct the Covert Town Clerk to forward a copy of this resolution to all Seneca County Town Clerks, Seneca County Supervisors, Senator Michael F. Nozzolio, Assemblyman Philip A. Palmesano, Senate Republican Conference Leader Dean G. Skelos, Senate Independent Democrat Conference Leader Jeffrey A. Klein, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, Assembly Minority Leader Brian M. Kolb, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and Seneca County Sheriff Jack S. Stenberg: and

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that we, the undersigned members of the Covert Town Board, call upon the New York State Legislature and Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to set aside and annul the ill conceived and poorly drafted NY SAFE ACT, which infringes the rights of law-abiding citizens of the State of New York, Seneca County, and the Town of Covert