Stec should know better

State’s with strictest gun laws have fewest suicides

By Ken Tingley

The New York State Legislature has never had a very good reputation when it comes to thoughtfully contemplating significant legislation.

Instead, it has regularly rushed through state budgets and new statutes in the middle of the night without the required three-day review from the general public or even a robust debate from the legislators themselves. Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo was notorious for using a “message of necessity” to get around the three-day waiting period when it came to passing such gun-control measures as the “Safe Act.”

While you can argue with the way it was passed, the “Safe Act” has proven a valuable curb to gun violence and given prosecutors more tools to prosecute criminals. But maybe most importantly, it has not made criminals out of regular law-abiding citizens.

Most recently, the New York State Legislature shot itself in the foot again with passage of a measure that restricts the concealed carry of firearms in certain areas. The problem was that the law did not specifically define what it meant by “parks.”

Keep in mind that most legislators are from New York City and other larger cities around the state. When something is referred to as a “park,” they are more likely thinking of “Central Park,” not “Adirondack Park.”

The legislation forbids concealed carry permit holders from bringing weapons into “parks.”

For any rational-thinking human being, this was obviously a flub in the lawyer language of the bill and not an attempt to ban guns from a 6-million acre park in upstate New York. But of course, politicians are not rational-thinking human beings.

And this goes to the heart of our political discourse. Instead of going to work and getting the language amended so it is clarified, politicians like Sen. Dan Stec and Rep. Elise Stefanik immediately set about politicizing the gaff and implying it was an attempt to ban guns in a rural part of New York.

Stec immediately announced that the law put Adirondack Park residents “at risk for felony charges for merely owning a shotgun or rifle.” Obviously, that was not the intent of the law. And Stec had to know that. If he didn’t, then he has larger problems.

Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office clarified that the new gun law “changes nothing” for lawful gun owners on either public or private lands in the Adirondacks or Catskills. It explained that those lands are classified as “forest preserve” and are different than other public parks. It also said it has asked the DEC to give guidance to local law enforcement regarding the bill.

Still, some clarification is probably needed. But where most of us would see an error in the wording of a bill, politicians see an opportunity to score points with conservative voters.

But Stec didn’t stop there.

“By forcing establishments to note if a person is allowed to carry a weapon inside, potential  criminals know what places are secure and which are ripe for preying on,” Stec said in a statement.

Stec, whose district is a sprawling swath of rural upstate New York where crime is not really much of an issue, implied that it was. His implication that crime sprees from brilliant Adirondack criminal masterminds are regularly taking place is disturbing. If these crimes are happening, he should immediately point out where so that law enforcement can mobilize and solve the problem. Sadly this is nothing more than political rhetoric.

Politicians like Stec and other Republicans are absolutely right to criticize Democrats for rushing the legislation through without any public forums or debate.

But Stec, once a respectable supervisor in the town of Queensbury, continues to follow in the footsteps of Rep. Elise Stefanik by buying into a culture of fear and using scare tactics toward his constituents.

The Democrats should immediately amend the bill and clarify there are not specific restrictions aimed at residents of the Adirondack Park.

That is where Stec should have focused his energy, not on scare tactics.

New book coming

I received the proofs for my next book “The Last American Newspaper” on Monday and have begun indexing and proofing the copy.

Release is expected at the end of August or the beginning of September.

You can pre-order the book from McFarland Books on their website.

Gun deaths and suicides

The New York State Legislature’s focus on new gun laws after the mass shooting in Buffalo has brought us back to one of most important results of stricter gun laws - fewer suicides.

About half of the gun deaths in the state of New York are suicides. You probably didn’t know that. It is also a key reason why red flag laws are so important.

The Times Union reported Sunday that the states with the most strict guns laws have the lowest rates of suicide.

We should not forget that.

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