Photo Courtesy of Councilman Gennaro
“Until Albany does the right thing, New Yorkers will continue to pay with their lives,” Councilman Gennaro wrote in his letter to Gov. Hochul.
By Michael V. Cusenza
Governor Kathy Hochul on Friday announced she will convene an extraordinary session of the State Legislature on Thursday, June 30, to pass new gun safety legislation in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to strike down New York’s concealed carry law.
In its 6-3 decision, the highest court in the land ended a 100-year legal precedent requiring individuals to demonstrate “proper cause” to obtain a license to carry a concealed firearm. It deemed New York State’s existing law unconstitutional because it gives too much discretion to the State and its licensing officers in determining “proper cause.” The case now returns to New York’s 2nd Circuit Court — which must issue a ruling that aligns with the Supreme Court opinion.
“The Supreme Court’s reckless and reprehensible decision to strike down New York’s century-old concealed carry law puts lives at risk here in New York,” Hochul said. “Since the decision was released, I have been working around the clock with our partners in the legislature to craft gun safety legislation in response to this ruling that will protect New Yorkers. My number one priority as Governor will always be to keep New Yorkers safe.”
At least one borough pol has reached out to Hochul this week, urging her to use the special session to also address “the most glaring deficiency” in the State’s criminal justice system: Judges are still not able to remand defendants based on the potential threat they pose to the public.
“[A]s you and the Legislature convene to pass legislation during the special session as needed to address the ramifications of the concealed carry decision, it is also imperative that you use your position as governor to address the most glaring deficiency in the State’s criminal justice system—the lack of a ‘dangerousness’ standard for the remand of defendants,” City Councilman Jim Gennaro (D-Hillcrest) wrote on Tuesday in a letter to Hochul. “New York is the only state in the country where judges cannot remand defendants based on the potential threat they pose. The lack of a dangerousness standard has led to New York City and the entire State to be trapped in an endless cycle of violence in which dangerous defendants are released to perpetrate deadly violent crimes again and again as they await trial.”
Additionally, Gennaro noted that major crimes in New York City are spiking at a tremendous rate, and the State has “the most shameful and preventable distinction of having the most cities on the list of the 24 cities nationwide with the highest number of homicides per capita.” Four cities in New York are on this ranked list, including Rochester (#5), Buffalo (#13), Syracuse (#14), and New York City (#24) – according to the Center for Public Safety Initiatives.
“Please put the aforementioned reforms on the docket for the special session on public safety, and if they don’t pass, call another special session,” Gennaro wrote. “Until Albany does the right thing, New Yorkers will continue to pay with their lives.”
