Barclay: SAFE Act Background Check Delays Further Proof Law Was Pushed on Public, Similar to Obamacare

Assemblyman Will Barclay (R,C,I—Pulaski) issued the following statement today, after news that the far-reaching provision—a background check on ALL who purchase ammunition as stipulated by the SAFE Act—will be delayed beyond Jan. 15:

“The recent news that background checks on all ammunition purchases will not begin on Jan. 15, as stipulated by the SAFE Act, is further proof that the SAFE Act was rushed through the legislative process. Enforcement has been one concern all along, and now, with this admittance that the State Police are working on technology solutions just two months away from when the law is supposed to go into effect, is more reason our Governor misgauged the state’s capabilities to enforce his own laws and the public’s desire for them.

“The SAFE Act delay is similar to our federal government’s delay of Obamacare, as implementing such an enormous policy has proven to be problematic on many levels. Both are more about politics than they are about good public policy. Both laws were passed too quickly, with little to no bipartisan support, and forced upon the public.

“Had the SAFE Act been properly vetted, and the New York public had a chance to respond, we may have been able to head off some of the problems or stop it altogether.”