What I just received from Jane Corwin Assemblywoman from the 142 District:
>Assemblywoman Corwin,
>
> I'm writing to inform you of a Bill going through the Assembly. That Bill is A06187, a Bill which would make NY a "Shall Issue" state in terms of pistol permits. Currently in Erie county, the wait for a pistol permit application is 12-18 months according to the Pistol Permit office located in the Rath building. The cost of an application is well over $110, when you factor in finger printing. Not only is this ridiculous, but nearly all of the CCW permits issued in Erie County are "Restricted" Permits, allowing the holder to transport the pistol only to and from the gun range. The cost to employ all of the workers in the Pistol Permit office is unnecessary, and by passing this bill, the office would be able to downsize greatly, while making the wait to be approved significantly shorter. You and I both know criminals don't follow the law, and most gun related violence is committed with stolen and illegal firearms anyways, so allow the law abiding citizens to protect themselves, and their families. This Bill leaves the discretion of issue up to the NICS, the existing background check authority used for the sale of all firearms. There are many states that already have "Shall Issue" laws, such as Florida, Texas, Utah, Indiana, etc. All of these states have lower gun related incident rates than NY. So when Bill A06187 comes up for vote, please help make NY a safer place to live and Vote for Bill A06187.
>
> Thank you for your time,
> XXXX X XXXXXXX
>
Dear Mr. XXXXXXX:
Thank you for your recent letter regarding proposed bills in the New York State Assembly to combat gun violence. I appreciate your initiative in contacting my office.
As your newly elected Assemblywoman, I feel an obligation to express to you, a member of my constituency, my feelings on gun rights for law abiding citizens. I firmly believe that any law abiding citizen in the United States has the right to own a firearm. Moreover, I believe that lawmakers throughout the state and country should actively seek to honor one’s rights laid out in the US constitution.
Added restrictions to gun laws do not address the problem of violent criminals who illegally posses and use firearms. Combating violence involves a variety of law enforcement tactics that have had proven success throughout New York State. Such programs as IMPACT, a law enforcement program dedicated to providing police departments the technical ability to pin-point crime patterns and consistency; give our agencies ample ability to combat crime. Instead of stripping rights from law abiding gun owners, lawmakers should be supporting these types of programs, as they have proven successful in fighting crime.
You can county on my adamant opposition to any bill that restricts law-abiding gun owners the ability to exercise their constitutional right to own and carry firearms.
Again, thank you for your correspondence and please feel free to contact my office in the future regarding this or any other state matter.
Sincerely,
Jane L. Corwin
NYS Assemblywoman
142^nd District
