Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) today issued a statement in response to several county sheriffs across New York State who are urging legal pistol permit holders to carry their weapons for protection on a daily basis.

“As an unwavering supporter of the Second Amendment, I agree with and support the stances of over a dozen county sheriffs who have urged pistol permit holders who are allowed to carry a concealed weapon to do so. The tragic events in San Bernardino have demonstrated that acts of terrorism can happen anywhere across the country and civilians should consider arming themselves for protection.”

To date, at least a dozen county sheriffs statewide have supported Sheriff Paul Van Blarcum’s plea to encourage constituents to arm themselves if they are legally allowed. They include Sheriff Michael Schiff of Sullivan County, Sheriff Mike Carpinelli of Lewis County, Sheriff David Cole of Steuben County, Sheriff Barry Virts of Wayne County, Sheriff William Yessman of Schuyler County, Sheriff Ernest R. Cutting, Jr. of Chenango County, Sheriff Carl DuBois of Orange County, Sheriff Jeffrey J. Murphy of Washington County and Sheriff Thomas J. Lorey of Fulton County.

“I recently visited New York City for the annual Times Square tree lighting ceremony, and I can attest that deterrent tactics are effective. In large metropolitan areas, it is easy to establish a very apparent and saturated police presence. But what downstate gun control advocates do not understand is that upstate New York can be very rural and police may be 20 minutes away from a home or business in the event of an emergency. This can literally mean the difference between life and death. It is our constitutional right to protect ourselves from violence and terrorism, and I encourage my constituents to be vigilant.”