Graf Rails Against Gun Bill

New York State Assemblyman Al Graf has issued the following statement regarding the passage of tighter gun control measures in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary shootings. 

 
My daughter is a New York City police officer, and under this legislation, we’ll be taking bullets out of her gun while the bad guys have no such limitations. This is what happens when you circumvent the legal, responsible legislative process: you end up with a well-intentioned bill that completely misses its mark and ends up putting the safety of our children and families at risk.
 
This legislation, as presented by the governor, does not begin to address the issues that culminated in the tragic loss of young lives in Sandy Hook. The gun control measure passed by the Assembly was rushed to the floor without public input or proper review and resulted in a fatally-flawed bill. 
 
I was instrumental in creating three amendments to this bill which, though they were promised to be advanced sometime in the future, were not included in the legislation that was voted on. Therefore, I cannot, in good conscience, vote for a piece of legislation that is admittedly flawed.
 
Elected officials are sent to state government to do the people’s work, and the people have a right to make their voices heard before legislation is rushed into law. Unlike the governor, I am not running for president in 2016 and see no need to force through important measures without proper review. While I am certainly in favor of an open, substantive discussion about protecting public safety and keeping guns out of the hands of dangerous criminals, I will not vote for legislation that is hastily written and not properly vetted for the sake of making headlines.
 
This legislation represents missed opportunities to deal more effectively with mental health issues, bullying and the desensitization associated with violent video games. This legislation goes a long way toward grabbing headlines, but falls way too short of dealing with the problems that culminate into tragic events splashed across our newspapers.