I emailed my assemblyman Clifford W. Crouch of the 122nd district and here is what he said:
Dear James:
We are all saddened and shocked at the recent shooting in Connecticut. As we try to comprehend the horrific event, our hearts and our prayers go out to the families who have suffered such a devastating loss. I believe as we look at this senseless act of violence and others that are similar it is important to step back and look at the real issues that are behind this. Many people are calling for more gun control but I believe this is a “knee jerk” reaction and we should work to construct something more meaningful and effective to prevent as much as possible a similar scenario from occurring.
The quick response is to call for a ban on “assault weapons” or military style guns. In previous legislation that we have debated against, these weapons are described as having a pistol grip or thumbhole in the stock and capable of having a large capacity magazine. The pistol grip and/or thumb hole is preferred by the military because it affords more stability and control of the rifle in difficult or assault situations. What hunter wouldn’t want more stability and control when hunting to be more safe and accurate? The AR-15 or the Bushmaster does have a pistol grip and is typically configured with large capacity magazines but I don’t believe this is the issue. Connecticut already has a ban on “assault weapons” since 1993. The shooter was not licensed to possess or operate firearms so enacting another ban would not have prevented the massacre. The shooter in Connecticut took four guns to the school, three of which he carried into the school. He could have gone in with four revolvers and would have had 24 shots.
I believe the issue is much more complicated than the type of gun or tool of destruction. It relates to changes in our society values and how we deal with or accept violence, bullying, morality and ethics. In many cases these shooters were misfits in society, having mental issues that were ignored. We need to step back and look at how we address people with mental defects or even temporary mental health problems which could make them unsafe not only with a firearm but with any other tools of destruction. There are a high percentage of people who have had mental health counseling who would be of no concern with ownership of firearms, but we need to address the recognition and treatment of those who are at risk of causing violence to others.
Most of the shooters that have caused the deaths in Connecticut, Colorado or even in New York are intelligent people capable of figuring out how to cause destruction even without the use of a gun. Pipe bomb technology is available on the internet or they could have resorted to the old technology of the Molotov cocktail. Three quarts of flaming gasoline tossed into a classroom or movie theater certainly would have been devastating.
I firmly believe that we need to address the information available through the National Instant Criminal Background Check (NICS). Under Section 400.00 of Penal Law, the new Office of Mental Health Background Check allows members of certain local law enforcement officials to perform searches of the database automatically. Unfortunately this system is used by local governments to conduct background checks for pistol permits and the data would not be accessed by firearm retailers who would still be getting their information from the Federal NICS System.
Additional gun control legislation is not the answer. We have a number of very effective laws in place that need to be enforced and tweaked to be more effective. Many times shooters have followed all of the existing laws but would have been prevented from acquiring firearms or possessing firearms if other safeguards were in place. Passing bans on certain types of firearms or rifles only would give a false sense of security to an unknowing public and allow lawmakers to claim they fixed the problem. Meanwhile the root of the issues persists only to inflict more violence in the future.
As always, I appreciate your comments and thank you for writing especially as we address this vital issue.
Sincerely,
Cliff
Clifford W. Crouch
Member of Assembly
122nd District