Gun Control And Funding Issues Up For Vote

The Rockland County Legislature is scheduled to vote Tuesday night on approving $45 million of Revenue Anticipation Notes and $55 million of Tax Anticipation Notes. Its members will vote on asking for Home Rule Legislation from the state to allow it to extend the 3/8 of one percent and 5/8 of one percent sales and compensating use tax until 2015 and to issue a $96 million deficit bond.

One of the several gun control resolutions approved by legislative committees last week and on the agenda has come under criticism from Legislator Ed Day along with the state’s newly imposed gun control law. 

In a prepared statement, Day said steps are needed “to correct the overreaches and irregularities in Governor Cuomo’s gun bill.”

“As a retired member of the law enforcement community, I have been disheartened by much of the content of the new overly broad and restrictive gun legislation passed in haste by the State,” said Day.  “As such, and based on the recommendations of several law enforcement organizations, I am proud to have written and co-sponsored, along with Legislators Carey and Hood, a resolution calling for active and retired law enforcement exemptions from magazine capacity restrictions and ammunition purchase restrictions, along with a more clearly defined definition of assault weapons (such that legal gun owners and hunters are not impacted), and full local agency review of school safety plans, as opposed to the state agency now proposed.”

Day also spoke about the resolution calling for a reinstatement on assault weapons and detailed his opposition.

“As to the resolution at hand, many points brought forward, such as calling for increased funding for school resource officers and mental health services, or extending the prohibition on gun purchases to violent juvenile offenders, are entirely valid,” Day said, “That said, though I will be out of the country on Tuesday, I feel it is important that it be on record that I simply cannot support a resolution calling for a reinstatement of an assault weapons ban that has been opposed by the Sheriff’s Association, amongst other law enforcement groups, for being too broad and completely ineffective in reducing violent crime when it was in effect.” 

Day stated his committee vote was to move the resolution for debate, not for its passage.

The legislature meets at 7 p.m. Tuesday night.