“How can we be proud of what just transpired here in Albany?
“At the opening of the 2013 legislative session, this house, the ‘people’s house,’ patted itself on the back for all its good works and accomplishments, and yet, in less than 24 hours, we’ve been forced to take up a bill that tramples on New Yorkers’ constitutional rights by giving the public no opportunity for input or reasoned deliberation.
“This bill not only falls short of its most basic objectives to keep people safe from those who wish to harm them, but works to infringe upon our Second Amendment rights and, especially in the Mohawk Valley, threatens the livelihood of families who are employed by Remington Arms.
“In the governor’s eagerness to gain notoriety and be the first state to adopt stricter gun laws, we’ve lost so much, namely our rights, our voices and even our security.
“We cannot take pride in the way New York’s government acted today.”