A Major Victory For Public Safety

In a major victory for public safety, the U.S. Senate defeated the dangerous Thune Amendment. Had it passed, New York would be forced to honor thousands of concealed carry permits from states with lax standards, making it more difficult for law enforcement to stop straw purchasers from selling illegal guns in our state.

As the co-chair of State Legislators Against Illegal Guns, I wrote a letter to Congress last week opposing this irresponsible, lowest common denominator proposal. It is nonsensical to give the federal government the power to override our state’s gun laws and subject New York to the laws of other state governments with completely different public safety needs. Clearly an idea that works in South Dakota might not be the right policy for New York.

I applaud Senators Schumer and Gillibrand for their leadership in upholding New York’s right to set our own public safety standards and protect our citizens.