ADK elected officials call on Gov. Hochul for clearer gun legislation

PLATTSBURGH | Members of the Adirondack Association of Towns and Villages (AATV), the Adirondack Park Local Government Review Board, Assemblymen Billy Jones and Matt Simpson held a press conference Aug. 30, calling on Gov. Kathy Hochul to clarify New York State Senate Bill S51001, which relates to licensing and other provisions for firearms. The bill, which was signed by the governor July 1, becomes law on Sept. 1. In addition to Jones and Simpson, Steve McNally, president of AATV; Shaun Gilliland, vice president of AATV; Brian Wells, chairman of the board of supervisors for Hamilton County and Jerry Delaney, executive director of the Adirondack Park Local Government Review Board, spoke on how the bill will affect their constituents. Jones began by stating the main concerns he and his colleagues have. First, they are concerned about how the law affects public parks, and how the definition of public parks is going to apply to the Adirondack Park. Simpson said "There are too many people at risk here that have been law-abiding citizens following the law. And now in two days, they don't know where they are, where they stand. We can do better than that we're New Yorkers." Second, they are concerned counties within the Adirondack Park don't have the resources to fulfill the new training requirements for pistol permits. "I think as onerous as this pistol permit process was before this law was put in, it was working," Jones said. "Now I know I might get a little feedback from some people, but the process was a process that people knew what it was and they carried it out." McNally said the law is not a bipartisan issue, it is an Adirondack issue. "We ask for the ability to be included in making changes to this law so that the people in the Adirondacks are not unjustly punished," he said. Gilliland brought up the farm worker overtime law and how there was an opportunity for public comment all around the state when that law was being written, but the same was not done for the gun law. "They didn't give this particular law that courtesy to allow the people of New York to speak," he said. "Well, now we're here demanding that we get to speak." Wells said the law would affect his county every day. He asked the governor to go back to the drawing board and come up with legislation that is "effective in stopping gun violence and to not persecute law-abiding citizens." Delaney said the law is not a political issue, but a cultural issue. "The Adirondack people have been born into a culture of hunting and fishing and enjoying the outdoors, and this law, unfortunately, strikes right to that culture," he said. He argued that as elected public servants, he and his colleagues are used to seeking public comment before making decisions, therefore that should have been done with this law too. "Quite frankly, we're not very happy. And we're not satisfied with what has come out of Albany to answer some of our concerns and our questions," Jones said. "We're not asking for a lot. We're looking for clarification. We're looking for some changes to this, to make sure that our people that have gone through this permitting process that's been in New York for a century are able to follow the law and are able to carry their pistols legally."

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ADK elected officials call on Gov. Hochul for clearer gun legislation

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