The Van Buren Town Board has jumped on board with the effort to repeal the SAFE Act.
At its June 2 meeting, the board passed a motion in support of a series state bills that seek to repeal the New York Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement (SAFE) Act of 2013.
State Sens. Michael Nozzolio and Katherine Marchione have introduced bills S511-2015 and S1476-2015 to the New York State Senate to repeal part or all of the SAFE Act. Sen. Rich Funke is a co-sponsor of the Senate bills, and Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb is co-sponsoring bill A02391-2015 in the Assembly.
“With the contingency of hunters and shooters that live in the town of Van Buren as well as the people who feel that their rights were infringed upon with the passage of the SAFE Act, it behooves us as a board to acknowledge the need to try to repeal it,” Supervisor Claude Sykes said.
Passed shortly after the 2012 school shootings in Newtown, Conn., the SAFE Act increased regulations on gun sales, registration, ammunition and storage. To date, 52 of the state’s 62 counties and more than 270 cities, towns and villages have passed resolutions opposing the SAFE Act.
Councilor Rick Zaccaria noted that the Second Amendment is not necessarily about protecting the rights of hunters but supports the right of citizens to take up arms in a militia against the government if necessary.
Councilor Howard Tupper said the SAFE Act “has done nothing to curb crime.” The town board passed the resolution unanimously.
In other business:
Also on the agenda was the institution of a nonrefundable $25 permit fee for block parties. The board had previously passed a local law to that end but never set a fee for permit applications.
“Down in the Knolls, there was a party that occurred that got a little out of hand, and the people there wanted some controls,” Sykes said.
In addition to the permit fee, which will cover administrative and highway department costs, Sykes said block party organizers must also secure an insurance policy for their parties.
The resolution passed 6-1, with Councilor Darcie Lesniak dissenting.
Lesniak said she planned to go door-to-door to homes on Henderson Boulevard over the weekend to urge residents to fill out an income survey. If the town cannot get 90 percent of the residents in this area to complete the survey, it will lose out on $125,000 in Community Development Block Grants for drainage improvements.
In March, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which provides the Community Development Block Grants funding, announced that Van Buren was one of eight municipalities in Onondaga County whose average income exceeded HUD grant criteria.
The town board approved the 2015 “284 Agreement: Agreement for the Expenditure of Highway Moneys” with Highway Superintendent Doug Foster for paving of Mann Drive, Birchwood Boulevard from Idlewood Boulevard to Farwood Drive, Daywood Drive and Connors Road from Van Buren Road to East Sorrell Hill Road.
Foster said work has begun on Birchwood Boulevard and Connors Road. The roads will remain unpaved until culvert and catch basins repairs are complete.
Sykes said Town Historian Marilyn Breakey is preparing a historical photo display about the hamlet of Memphis, which will be displayed near Sykes’ office in the town hall.
Sykes said there will be a meeting June 13 in Marcellus regarding the effect of solar power on a business’ profitability. Anyone interested in attending the meeting may contact Sykes at 635-3009.
