City of Rochester
News Release
(Thursday, Feb. 28 2013) – Mayor Thomas S. Richards and City Council President Lovely A. Warren announced today that the Mayor’s Office and City Council have submitted a joint letter of support for the Governor’s and the Legislature’s actions to approve the New York State Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement (SAFE) Act.
The letter is signed by Mayor Richards and all nine members of the City Council. It has been delivered to Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo; Sheldon Silver, Speaker of the New York State Assembly; Dean Skelos, Temporary President and Majority Coalition Leader of the New York State Senate; and Jeffrey Klein, Temporary President and Independent Democratic Conference Coalition Leader.
“The new law includes the strongest assault weapons ban in the nation and we not only endorse this, we have acted upon it,” Mayor Richards and the Council Members wrote in the letter. “Rochester has had an assault weapons ban on the books since1993.”
“The NY SAFE Act also includes additional safeguards to prevent guns from falling into the hands of society’s most dangerous individuals,” they continued. “While we support the right to bear arms, we feel that this law takes the necessary steps to ensure that gun ownership is done in a responsible manner.”
The Mayor and Council members also praised the Governor and State Leaders for including the Webster Provision, which mandates a life sentence for anyone who murders a first responder.
A copy of the complete letter can be viewed here.
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News Media: For more information, contact Michael Keane at 428-7135.