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Syracuse.com - New state gun control law causes a number of concerns/fears among local outdoor sportsmen and women


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"My hope is that rational heads prevail," said one sportsman.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s signature last week to sweeping gun control legislation that bans assault weapons and tacks on new restrictions on firearms and ammunition has sparked widespread and emotional discussion in the ranks of local outdoors sportsmen and women.

The new regulations, which now rank as the toughest in the country, have been greeted with applause by gun control advocates with many having an “it’s about time” reaction.

Conversations with several competitive trap and pistol shooters this week, along with many who attended Thursday night’s annual presidents meeting of the 5,400-member, Onondaga Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs, revealed a wide range of questions, concerns and feelings about the law— raising issues apart from the usual Second Amendment Rights argument and what, under the law, actually constitutes an assault weapon.

While many at Thursday’s gathering expressed total disgust for the law, a few – including two attending state lawmakers who voted for it – voiced their support.

Catherine Barney, of Cicero, who shoots trap competitively on the state and national level, is an National Rifle Association firearms instructor, educator and trap shooting coach. She said in a phone interview Thursday morning that she’s been getting “a flood” of emails and phone calls about it. She said many gun owners fear police will begin seizing illegal firearms, or checking for illegal storage practices by entering the homes of law-abiding, tax-paying citizens.

“Gun owners are being made out to be citizens of a lesser America. We have a big fear of this,” she said, adding the trend to register more and more firearms raise red flags.

“There are people out there who have inherited firearms from their fathers, their grandparents. They’re like grandma’s wedding silverware set. They hold them in great regard. Do you really think these people are going down to the Onondaga County Courthouse and say, ‘Hey, look what I got?’ They’re not.

“And have you been out lately and tried to buy a firearm or ammunition? This is like prohibition, and we know what happened to that.”

Robert Spitzer, head of the political science department at SUNY Cortland and nationally recognized expert on national and international gun control legislation, said there’s a steady drumbeat of “background noise” and fear-mongering being conducted by the NRA and others. He noted the 70-80 page law is complex and that many aspects have to be fine-tuned.

He said there’s “no notion that I’ve seen that anybody is coming door to door for you and your assault weapon.

“That wouldn’t make sense. It’ll probably be more like if you get pulled over for running a red light and the officer notices you’re not wearing a seat belt, you’ll get ticketed for both,” he said.

Spitzer said in his opinion the law will likely withstand legal challenges. “The changes are consistent with pre-existing powers of state government to regulate things it regulates,” he said.

Tom Adessa, of Auburn, a hunter who shoots pistols competitively, said the new law is part of a bigger picture.

“How does Gov. Cuomo plan to offset the lack of revenue due to lower ammo sales, lower firearms sales and sales of equipment, clothing, accessories, lower booking rates with hunting guides, lower attendance at shooting ranges, less sales tax collect, less state income tax paid because of lower revenue and less tax paid to The Pittman Robertson Fund?” he said. “Some people just won’t be bothered with all the ‘red tape,’ which we all know is just a poorly disguised tactic called attrition.”

Lance Robson, of Sennett, is state chairman of the state Fish and Wildlife Board. He stressed his opinions were his own and then proceeded to criticize the “cowardly” and “deceitful” way the law was ironed out quickly behind closed doors by Cuomo and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Senate majority leader Dean Skelos. They avoided the normal process that bills go through the legislature by calling it “an emergency,” ensuring there was no real debate about it, he said.

George Wede, of Syracuse, the state’s oldest, active hunter safety instructor, said the increased gun registration regulations – particularly the requirement that handguns be re-registered every five years – is simply another tax in disguise.

Many interviewed criticized the law’s provision that allows assault weapon owners up to a year to sell their firearms or illegal ammunition clips out of state. “These firearms are being called instruments of death. Yet, we’re going to be selling these things to others in another state. I don’t get it,” said Stephen Wowelko, president of the Onondaga Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs.

Fayetteville resident Les Monostory, of the Central New York Chapter of the Izaak Walton League, said he agreed with the ban on assault weapons, but “other than that wants to see hunters still being able to hunt and get the equipment they need.

“As far as the NRA’s stance on arming teachers — that’s ridiculous,” he said.

State lawmakers in attendance at Thursday night’s meeting were Sen. David Valesky, D- Oneida, and Assemblyman Al Stirpe, D-North Syracuse, who voted for the bill. Both Valesky and Stirpe said they initially opposed, but changed their minds in the final stretch.

“We saw an opportunity to do some good things and felt we wouldn’t get that opportunity again,” Stirpe said, alluding to opposition by the state Senate with its Republican majority to gun control laws.

Valesky noted this had nothing to do with restricting hunting, or a hunter’s right to be in the field, but banning high capacity, military-style rifles that have been “the weapon of choice” for far too many tragedies. He said there several provisions in the bill he just couldn’t oppose, including a mandatory life imprisonment for killing a first responder to a fire, increasing the penalties for illegal handguns, keeping firearms out of hands of the mentally ill and increasing state aid to improve school security.

Assemblyman Will Barclay, R-Pulaski, who voted no on the law also attended Thursday’s meeting and received the biggest applause. He noted state Sen. Kathleen Marchione, R-Halfmoon, near Saratoga Springs, has started an online petition to overturn it.

Carmen Davoli, of Fayetteville, president of the Central New York Pheasants Forever Chapter, said “you have radical opinions on either side of this issue.

“My hope is that rational heads prevail,” he said.

View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog

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