Assemblyman Joe Giglio (R,C,I-Gowanda) today joined his Assembly minority colleagues in calling for tougher penalties for criminals who traffic in illegal weapons. To underscore the need for this critical legislation, Giglio referred to New York Police Department Detective Dillon Stewart and Officer Daniel Enchautegui, both of whom were brutally gunned down in the line of duty over the past two weeks.

“It’s time to get tough on criminals who illegally traffic guns and to demonstrate our collective desire to safeguard our most courageous public servants – our police officers and first responders,” said Giglio. “For too long, criminals have been slipping through the loopholes in our laws, and heroic police officers are being killed in the line of duty as a result.”

Earlier this week, Assembly Minority Leader James Tedisco (R,C,I-Schenectady-Saratoga) called on Speaker Sheldon Silver to convene a special session of the Assembly to address what he called “critical, common-sense legislation.”