Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) today joined his colleagues in Albany for a press conference to call for a repeal of provisions of the infamous NY SAFE Act in Upstate New York and on Long Island. Legislation was introduced, which Hawley sponsors, which would limit the gun control measure to the counties of Kings, Queens, Bronx, New York and Richmond.

“It is long beyond time for the unconstitutional SAFE Act to be repealed in Upstate New York,” Hawley said. “Setting aside the facts that this bill was passed secretively in the middle of the night and is in direct violation of the Second Amendment, upstate families and businesses are less safe because of this law. Unlike in New York City where police are readily available, upstate citizens deserve to be able to protect their families in the event of an intruder, especially in rural areas where law enforcement may be many miles away.”

Hawley’s ‘Two New York’s’ bill was mentioned prominently during the press conference as an example of how different areas of the state can be carved out for various policy implementations. Hawley, a longtime supporter of the Second Amendment, hunters, sportsmen and local S.C.O.P.E. chapters, was one of the first to come out against the SAFE Act, which was rushed through the Legislature in the middle of the night with little to no public or stakeholder input.

“There has long existed a cultural difference between New York City and upstate that has dictated policy,” Hawley said. “If downstate special interests can carve out special zones for policy initiatives like ride-sharing, the minimum wage, the property-tax cap and local government assistance and include them in budget bills, then there is no reason upstate residents should have to abide by these laws that were specifically pushed by New York City politicians. I am calling on Assembly and Senate leadership to include our bill as part of budget negotiations and eliminate upstate New York from the SAFE-Act’s unlawful regulations.”