Assemblyman Bill Nojay (R,I-Pittsford) is supporting the decision by the Veterans’ Administration (VA) to not comply with the reporting requirements of the NY SAFE Act. The VA can now be added to a growing list of groups opposing Gov. Cuomo’s ill-conceived and flawed gun-control legislation.
The reporting requirements in the NY SAFE Act compel doctors and therapists to report to county officials any patients they deem likely to harm themselves or others. The state will then check the person’s name in the proposed $36 million database. If that person owns any firearms, the state will then confiscate them if the owner fails to turn them in on his or her own. The VA has said that this conflicts with federal law regarding the confidentiality of veterans’ treatment records.
“I fully support the VA’s decision to not comply with the SAFE Act’s reporting requirements. In addition to the law’s violation of patient confidentiality, it will also result in less veterans seeking mental health treatment out of fear of losing their Second Amendment right,” said Nojay. “Compliance will only make our communities less safe and further demonstrates why laws should not be passed without proper time for the public to see the bill and give their input.”
“As more counties, towns, sheriffs, county clerks, district attorneys and law enforcement professionals understand what is in this law, the less compliance there will be with its unworkable rules,” said Nojay. “Ultimately, Gov. Cuomo will agree to major revisions to this poorly-drafted law or it will fall under its own weight.”
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