‘Tough’ is only for ‘terror’
They’re there to do something. They’re there to take action.”
Noting that President Trump described the Texas church shooting as a “mental health problem,” Cuomo said federal lawmakers should follow the example of New York’s SAFE Act, which includes provisions intended to prevent dangerously mentally ill people from purchasing guns.
“We’ve taken action in New York with the SAFE Act, and we have made this state safer,” Cuomo said. “We have banned purchases from mentally ill people, which is what the President says the problem is.”
Adopted after the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, the SAFE Act, among other things, requires mental health professionals to report any patients likely to engage in conduct “that would result in serious harm to self or others.” That information is then passed on to the state’s director of Criminal Justice Services.
“Do what we did in New York and ban purchases by mentally ill people, but do something,” Cuomo said. “We don’t need the thoughts and prayers of the congresspeople. We need action.”
Trump didn’t offer any solutions beyond looking into the mental health situation.
When a deranged Uzbek immigrant killed eight people in lower Manhattan with his car last week, Trump called for, within hours, a massive overhaul of how U.S. visas are distributed, and urged more “extreme” vetting.
In the immediate aftermath of the Oct. 1 shooting in Las Vegas, the White House said it was inappropriate to consider a policy response so soon after the bloodshed.
Despite days later suggesting openness to outlawing the bump stock device that allowed Las Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock to fire at near-automatic rates, the Trump administration has shown no signs of urgency.
The President “has asked that that process be reviewed, and we’re waiting on some of the details of that to take place,” White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Oct. 27 when asked about bump stocks. “But a decision hasn’t been finalized on that.”
In February, Trump signed legislation reversing an Obama-era regulation that would have made it harder for Americans with mental illnesses to buy a gun.
Trump was endorsed by the NRA in last year’s presidential election, and earlier this year became the first sitting President to speak at the gun group’s annual convention in three decades. ALBANY — Following Sunday’s Texas church massacre, a Manhattan lawmaker says it’s time for the GOP-controlled state Senate to pass legislation that would help keep guns away from domestic abusers. State Sen. Brad Hoylman (DManhattan) is calling on Senate leaders to finally take action on bills he’s introduced that would enable police to remove firearms from the premises of domestic violence incidents and give judges the power to seize an individual’s firearms if they pose a significant risk to themselves or others. Both bills have repeatedly failed to advance in the Senate. Hoylman noted that Texas shooter Devin Kelley was courtmartialed by the Air Force for assaulting his wife and child. “Had there been a legal mechanism to take away his weapons, Sunday’s shooting may have been avoided,” Hoylman said. “Thoughts and prayer are not enough. It’s time for my Senate colleagues to help end the cycle of gun violence by bringing these bills to a vote come January.” A spokesman for Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan (RSuffolk County) did not respond to a request for comment.