Town of Hector resolution calling for repeal of the NY SAFE act

RESOLUTION OPPOSING THE NEW YORK SECURE AMMUNITION AND FIREAMS ENFORCEMENT (SAFE) ACT OF 2013 – TOWN OF HECTOR

WHEREAS, the Town of Hector Town Board has long advocated for the protection of the rights afforded our citizens under the Constitution, which has for generations guided our Nation and served as a framework to our democracy and society, and

WHEREAS, the Second Amendment of the United States provides for the “right of the people to keep and bear arms” and further states that this right “shall not be infringed”, and

WHEREAS, members of the Town of Hector Town Board, being elected to represent the people of the Town of Hector, are duly sworn by their oath of office to uphold the Constitution of the United States, and

WHEREAS, the lawful ownership of firearms is a recreational benefit to our residents through hunting and target shooting, along with an economic and environmental benefit to our region with several locally owned and operated gun/sporting businesses, and

WHEREAS, the New York State Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement (NY SAFE Act) of 2013 which was rushed to passage by the New York State Senate, Assembly and Governor, will have a detrimental effect on hunters, sportsmen and legal gun owners, creating a hostile environment both for them and for the sale and manufacture of legal firearms, and

WHEREAS, the legislation prohibits the sale of firearm magazines with a capacity larger than seven (7) rounds and, those firearm magazines with a capacity larger than seven (7) rounds, which are authorized to be retained by existing owners, may only be loaded with seven (7) rounds and eventually must be permanently altered to only accept seven (7) rounds or be disposed of, and

WHEREAS, few or no low capacity (seven (7) rounds or less) magazines currently exist for many of the firearms commonly possessed by law-abiding resident of New York State, and

WHEREAS, the legislation severely impacts the possession and use of firearms now employed by the residents of Schuyler County for the defense of life, liberty and property, and

WHEREAS, the legislation severely impacts the possession and use of firearms now employed for safe forms of recreation including, but not limited to hunting and target shooting, and

WHEREAS, while there are some areas of the legislation that the Schuyler County Legislature finds encouraging, such as the strengthening of Kendra’s Law and Marks’s Law, as well as privacy protections for lawful permit holders, we find the legislation fails to offer little meaningful solutions to gun violence and places undo burdens where they don’t belong, squarely on the backs of law abiding citizens, and

WHEREAS, there are many parts of this legislation that place an unfunded mandate on the local Sheriff Departments, County Clerk’s Office and County Judges, while tax payers are crying out relief, and

WHEREAS, there will be significant financial impact due to the approximately 3,300 Schuyler County pistol permits that will have to be renewed requiring additional manpower and computer systems, and

WHEREAS, requiring law-abiding gun owners to verify ownership of certain types of firearms every five years, in addition to registering them on permits, which now also must be renewed every five years, does not increase the safety of the public and is unnecessarily burdensome to the residents of New York State, and

WHEREAS, this legislation effectively treats countless New York State law-abiding gun owners as criminals, and

WHEREAS, the enactment of the NY SAFE Act has engendered significant controversy over both the process by which it was enacted and certain provisions contained within, and

WHEREAS, the manner in which this legislation was brought forward for vote in the State Legislature is deeply disturbing to the Town of Hector Town Board.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Town of Hector Town Board does hereby oppose the enactment of the New York State Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement Act of 2013 because it fundamentally alters or abridges the right to keep and bear arms without addressing the problems of gun violence, and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Town of Hector Town Board hereby calls upon the New York State Legislature and Governor to set aside and annul this ill conceived and poorly drafted statute which abridges the rights of law-abiding citizens of the State of New York, and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Town of Hector Town Board opposes any effort by the New York State Legislature to bundle together stricter gun control efforts with Legislation that would exempt the records pertaining to handgun permit holders from disclosure under NYS Freedom of Informa tion Law, and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that certified copies of this Resolution be forwarded to the Governor of the State of New York, Senator Thomas O’Mara, Assemblyman Philip Palmesano and the Schuyler County Legislature.