Cuomo Says ‘There’s An Appetite’ For New Gun Control
Agree to agree.
That seems to be the message Gov. Andrew Cuomo has for Senate Republicans who may be hesitant to support gun-control measures in the wake of a spate of deadly shootings across the country.
Still, the governor said he thinks lawmakers in the Senate and Assembly want to see tighter gun control measures.
“There are a number of options that are on the table,” Cuomo told reporters. “I think although we have a short memory there have been current events that really shaped the psyche of this state and I think there is a receptivity as we stand here today by the Legislature for additional measures.”
He added, “I think there’s an appetite for reform and I think that’s a good thing and I think that’s one of the issues I’m going to have at the top of the list next January when they come back.”
The conversation as to whether any measures would have trouble passing becomes moot, of course, should Senate Republicans lose their majority later this year.
If they don’t, gun control measures would likely face stiff resistance in a GOP-led chamber.
Senate Republicans have distinguished between passing traditional gun control measures which they generally oppose to proposals that would keep illegal guns out of the hands of criminals, which they could back.
But Cuomo said this afternoon that might not be what he has in mind.
“I would have a different definition of gun control than they do,” Cuomo said. “But most important is let’s get all the options and see what we agree on rather than what we don’t agree on.”
Still, Cuomo is not sticking to specifics about what gun control measures he might want to see pass — not out of the ordinary for a governor who hates to tip his hand.
Cuomo said that the urgency to pass gun control also still needs to be around come January.
“That exist when they come back in January — they have to sustain it,” he said. “And then it becomes a question of putting all the options on the table and having a robust conversation and how we can best come to a consensus.”
| Print article | This entry was posted by Nick Reisman on August 15, 2012 at 2:43 pm, and is filed under Andrew Cuomo. Follow any responses to this post through RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed. |
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