Ed Day Clarifies Gun Position, Expresses Opposition to Cornell’s Resolution

STATEMENT FROM LEGISLATOR AND COUNTY EXECUTIVE CANDIDATE ED DAY (R)

Legislator Ed Day (New City-Pomona), is issuing a call for support for his proposed measures to correct the overreaches and irregularities in Governor Cuomo’s gun bill, while simultaneously expressing his opposition to the resolution proposed by Chairwoman Harriet Cornell.

“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 cosponsored, 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. I urge the legislature to act on and pass this resolution, in the hopes that the rushed law can at least be made more rational before its impact is felt.”

Legislator Day also spoke to the Chairwoman’s statements: “I was quite personally offended by Chairwoman Cornell’s attack on retired law enforcement in her tagging us with the isolated and disturbing actions of Christopher Dorner, a fired police officer. I accepted her apology but fear it is evidence of an underlying hostility towards gun owners and law enforcement.”

“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 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 further clarified that his vote in favor of the resolution in committee was a vote to bring it forward for debate, not in favor of its passing “I joined Legislator Carey, the Minority Leader, in voting merely to bring this resolution to the floor, while simultaneously expressing my reservations on the record in committee, as I have in many similar cases so as to encourage the democratic process and clear and open government when addressing issues of such substantive public import.”