Why Sen. DeFrancisco’s effort to repeal the NY SAFE Act is all wrong

From your letters:

To the Editor:

Sen. John DeFrancisco has co-sponsored a bill by Sen. Michael Nozzolio, S.511, which would repeal the NY SAFE Act. DeFrancisco’s constituents deserve to know why he thinks this is a good idea.

Does the senator think that repealing background checks on private gun sales will protect New Yorkers from gun violence since it will make it easier for felons, domestic abusers, terrorists and the seriously mentally ill to purchase guns?

Does he really think that five-year recertification of gun permits is a bigger inconvenience for gun owners than driver’s license renewal is for car owners?

Does he believe it was a mistake to make the murder of a first responder a Class A-1 felony? If so, he should inform the families of Michael Chiapperini and Tomasz Kaczowka, the two firefighters who were gunned down with a Bushmaster AR-15 assault rifle in Webster on Christmas Eve in 2012.

Does he disagree with the ATF that assault rifles like the Bushmaster AR-15, designed and intended for combat, are not suited to either sporting or hunting but rather are the weapons of choice for mass murderers?

Does he know that New Yorkers support the law by a 2 to 1 majority or that it has been upheld in federal and state court?

And finally, does he realize that because New York has smart gun laws that keep guns out of the wrong hands, we have the fourth-lowest gun death rate in the nation?

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