X

North County assemblyman calling for significant repeal of SAFE Act provisions

Posted 3/10/17

North Country Assemblyman Marc W. Butler, R–Newport, held a rally Thursday night at the Holiday Inn in Johnstown in support of his bill that would work to significantly repeal the SAFE Act in …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in

North County assemblyman calling for significant repeal of SAFE Act provisions

Posted

North Country Assemblyman Marc W. Butler, R–Newport, held a rally Thursday night at the Holiday Inn in Johnstown in support of his bill that would work to significantly repeal the SAFE Act in upstate New York and Long Island.

Butler’s 118th Assembly District includes the St. Lawrence County towns of Norfolk, Madrid, Stockholm, Parishville, Pierrepont, Colton, Clifton, Clare and Fine.

“Right here, in upstate New York, our values and traditions have been under attack by the governor and other New York city progressives who have worked to suppress our Second Amendment rights through overreaching laws like the SAFE Act,” Butler in a prepared statement. “I spoke as boldly then as I do now, that our regional differences and cultural heritage that respects firearms and outdoor sports must be protected. Our rights as law-abiding New Yorkers must be protected. Our jobs must be protected. We must repeal the un-SAFE Act in upstate New York to restore our Second Amendment Rights. This is why I created this legislation, and with the support of the public, we can urge legislative leaders to negotiate this repeal as part of the state budget. When we respect our differences, we all benefit.”

Butler’s bill would repeal the many top-down provisions which he claims “infringe on constitutionally protected rights through the Second Amendment.” Additionally, the legislation would lift unfunded mandates such as the processing of thousands of pistol recertification applications, which is being required by the SAFE Act. This includes the enforcement of provisions by law enforcement, which Butler argues “diverts resources and personnel away from more pressing matters in communities, such as fighting heroin and drug trafficking.”

Butler also has been urging the governor and legislative leaders to include the repeal as part of budget negotiations.

“The governor and downstate progressives have been pushing for Raise the Age, which would threaten public safety and the ability to hold criminals accountable. The assemblyman and his Assembly Republican colleagues have argued that a trade should be made— Butler’s SAFE Act repeal for Raise the Age,” Butler said in the prepared statement.

Butler’s legislation includes the following key provisions to apply to all counties excluding those in New York City:

· Restore the previously-existing definition of the term “assault weapon.” The SAFE Act requires rifles that had just one of several militarized features to be classified as assault weapons. Previous law allowed up to two features.

· Remove prohibitions on transferring certain weapons to family members due to death of the gun owner.

· Remove the prohibition on directly purchasing ammunition via the internet as well as the background check requirement for ammunition purchases

· Repeal storage requirements outlined in the SAFE Act

·Repeal the five-year recertification requirement for pistol permits, with the exception of Westchester, Nassau and Suffolk counties, which already had in place a five-year requirement

· Prohibit the creation of a statewide license and record database, which Butler says will save millions in taxpayer dollars.