State Sen. Lee Zeldin, R-Shirley, released the following statement after the Senate voted 43-18 Monday night to approve changes to the state's gun laws, including expanding the state’s ban on assault weapons, according to a New York Times report. The Democrat-controlled Assembly is expected to vote on the measure on Tuesday.
"The tragedies we have experienced in recent years, like last month in Newtown, Connecticut, deeply concern me and the vast majority of our state and nation. The senseless taking of innocent lives is unacceptable in any capacity.
In our Constitution are certain rights which provide the foundation of America’s greatness. Its Second Amendment in no uncertain terms guarantees the right of law abiding citizens to keep and bear arms. Its purpose was not so much about hunting as it was for a deeper and much more important consideration of our founding fathers. The inspiration for this protection rose out of a fundamental mistrust of government. I believe our Constitution should be strictly construed in a manner consistent with the intent of our nation's founding fathers. Agree or disagree with how good or bad government is today, this was a primary purpose why the Second Amendment was created and why it should be respected and adhered to still today.
The actions government takes to protect its citizens through gun laws must strike the right balance of targeting illegal guns and the criminals who use them without eroding the basic protections of the 2nd Amendment for law abiding gun owners. If there was some common sense solution to take away every illegal gun from criminals without disarming law abiding gun owners, I would be all for it.
Respectfully, I don’t believe that the gun package tonight strikes the proper balance and therefore I do not support it. I am currently in Virginia on Army Reserve duty for two weeks of mandatory military training. Had I been able to be present to vote, I would have voted against it.
There are a lot of good elements in this bill from expanding Kendra’s Law to increasing many penalties related to the use and possession of illegal guns. I commend my Republican colleagues who fought so hard to add these positive aspects. We must also strengthen enforcement of our current laws which are already some of the strongest in the nation.
Moving forward, public safety must always be a top priority. This debate should be even more focused on targeting illegal guns and providing maximum assistance to New Yorkers with mental illnesses in order to most directly avoid another tragedy like Newtown. Our focus as a state and nation has to be on providing people in need of mental health care more access to help. Society as a whole also needs to better understand mental illness and develop improved means of detecting potential violence long before it can become a threat to anyone else.
As the State Senator from the Third District of New York, I have a responsibility to weigh the views of my constituents, our concerns for their safety as well as their constitutionally protected rights.
Our great nation was founded on the idea that all people have certain inalienable rights. Our founding fathers understood that these rights were not granted by the government and therefore, shall not be removed by it either."
What's your take on Zeldin's remarks? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvIK4cmzeRY
The legislation does not handle any of the needed REAL changes that are being called for by the public. LEGAL gun owners are being penalized and IF you catch the ILLEGAL gun users (they never own the gun, just use it) THEN and only then will they be in trouble. Please read this legislation and see what it says. Here is a link to the legislation. http://open.nysenate.gov/legislation/bill/S2230-2013 We must and I mean MUST stop illegal gun use but not at the cost to LEGAL tax paying citizens who follow ALL of the rules and regulations.
I will never ever vote for any of the politicians that pushed this gun control bill through, with no regard for protocol. I never thought I would see a dictatorship in America!
The 7 round magazine would be laughable if it weren't so sad. Can you imagine a madman or criminal taking that law seriously.We have people writing legislation and voting on it that haven't a clue as to how to stop gun violence. Suffolk County Police shift changes should be done at school parking lots from now on. That would be one step toward increasing security at our schools.
I don't think that we really need to depend upon the members of the NRA and hunting clubs to repel invaders from Canada and Mexico today and the arms wielded by Federal Government dwarf any arms that its citizenry could ever collectively hold. So, unless you plan on buying and keeping ICBMs armed with atomic weapons to protect yourself from the Feds; you might as well give up your assault weapons, too, so the is no chance that they might fall into the wrong hands and kill innocent children again. Remember, the weapons that killed the children of Sandy Hook were stolen. Can anyone absolutely guarantee that their weapons will never be stolen? Is your hobby really more important than children's lives?
Good thought on the shift changes & their lunches can be taken at the schools also. The 7 round magazine puts these guns on par with revolvers. That is not good. I was on patrol during the 'crack wars' of the 80's and 90's when we were getting out shot by every bad guy on the street with a 9mm & a 15 round mag. 1 just has to recall the case of Scott Gadell to see the folly in this act to ignore exempting police officers/peace officers and others in law enforcement fields from this portion of the law: Scott A. Gadell, NYPD, End of Watch: Saturday, June 28, 1986 The officers chased the suspect into an alley and exchanged shots. As Officer Gadell was reloading his revolver the suspect was able to come up behind him and shot and killed him.
The suspect, who was charged with a drug related murder in 1985, was out on bail. That's putting it nicely. We were told the truth in trng: Scott exchanged gunfire in a Far Rockaway alleyway with the 'suspect'. Out of bullets he took cover behind a set of steps and attempted to reload his revolver. The perp, walked up on him & executed him by putting his gun to the back of Scott's head. Scott had to have seen the perp walking up on him (as he was trained to look up as he reloaded) not being able to reload in time. The bullets & partially loaded gun found under Scott on the ground with Scott in a final crumpled desperate death pose behind those stairs. THAT is the disdain and lack of respect for life that bad guys have for anyone that stands up to them. Let's not have another death of a Good Person to realize the folly of this law.
apologies....
As for someone guaranteeing that their guns cannot be stolen, can you guarantee that your wallet will not be stolen? Yes, this is comparing apples and oranges, but it is the same basic principle. Everyone's life is precious, children especially so. No gun law could have prevented this tragedy from occurring unless it was enforced. Unfortunately, our elected officials believe that passing stricter laws will help to curtail this type of tragedy, yet do little to enforce the laws that were already on the books. Andy Pandy Cuomo used to have my respect, but with his ramming this law down the throats of our elected officials and not even allowing them to read it -- all because he wanted to usurp President Obama and bring his name into the national spotlight, I have no respect for him at all. He is the worst kind of politician there is. One who thinks that he should be KING!
If the vote was tied or lost by one vote I'd be all over Lee. But the vote was basically a landslide. But as a member of the National Guard I realize these types of things are going to happen and have sometimes including missing family events. Here's what to do now. There's a period for changes to the bill. Email or call Lee's office in what you'd like to see changed. Personally I have done so and I am forming a letter to change the way Albany does business on bills like this. I.E; NO more doing things at night and without the 72 hour review in the procedures. Instead of a procedure, MAKE it a law punishable as a D- felony for anyone politician that violates it. Also all bills need to be broken down for voting, no more omnibus bills that contain 30 laws in one bill. Here say the 4-5 things about mental health should be one bill. NYS is being run into the ground and we know who's doing it.