West Capitol Park in Albany resembled a battlefield Thursday, Feb. 28, as thousands of gun rights supporters trudged through the muddy lawn rallying against the state’s new gun control law and denouncing Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
Thunderous rally cries could be heard coming from Empire State Plaza as gun rights advocates and state legislators campaigned for a repeal of the law. The cheers from around 7,000 protesters remained strong for more than two-and-a-half hours on the overcast day.
Lene Fornino, an 11-year-old from the Town of Rochester, stoked the crowd’s patriotic spirit by singing “God Bless America” followed by an the impromptu chant of “U.S.A.” Fornino, along with her whole family, is a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association.
Protesters weren’t coy with their signs. Several called Cuomo a tyrant or depicted him as Hitler, and one sign suggested state Senate GOP Leader Dean Skelos should “grow a pair.” One sign read “No more NYC laws 4 Upstate,” while another sign had a more personal message saying, “I’m a mom and grandmother here to defend & protect their future & rights.”
The protest was the third and largest held at the capitol since lawmakers approved the Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement Act, known as the SAFE Act, in January.
A litany of GOP legislators, along with some Democrats who voted against the new gun laws, spoke at Thursday’s event.
Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb, R-Canandaigua, led the charge and said the protest was about protecting the constitutional rights of gun owners.
“It is now time to repeal this law,” Kolb said.
But another popular chant throughout the events was “We will not comply.” Some owners of now-banned assault-style weapons said they would refuse to register their weapons with the state, as required under the SAFE Act.
Diane Kellogg, a Columbia County resident, said she doesn’t own any guns but is an NRA member. Attending the protest was important to Kellogg so she could defend everyone’s Second Amendment rights, she said.
“Why would they want to disarm us unilaterally when we are not doing anything?” Kellogg said. “Why are they taking this preemptive action towards us? It is so demeaning and disturbing and it has awoken the constitution sleeping in people who take freedom for granted.”
Thomas White, a member of Sheet Metal Workers Local 83 in Albany, said protecting his rights is important and he is worried about “what’s next” for legislators.
“If it meant missing a couple hours of work to throw my two cents in that’s why I am here,” said White, a 49-year-old Saratoga County resident. “There are a lot of other people that wanted to be here but couldn’t make it and I decided that this is more important than a couple hours of work.”
White, a hunter and competitive shooter, said he owns AR-15s and other semi-automatic guns that fall under the ban.
“Probably the most important thing to me would be home security,” White said of his firearms.
Senator Greg Ball, R-Patterson, garnered an enthusiastic response from the crowd as he stepped out from behind the podium and criticized Cuomo.
“Gov. Cuomo … you are turning World War II vets, Vietnam vets and folks returning from Iraq and Afghanistan … into criminals. Shame on you,” Ball said. “This governor’s focus wasn’t saving lives. It was protecting his life, his political life, and the political life of a governor who wants to be president.”
Ball said a “vast majority” of state legislators would rather turn people like the protesters into criminals than go after the “real criminals.” He said the protesters weren’t simply fighting for their rights, but future generations.
“This is the civil rights fight of our time,” Ball said. “If we lose this fight, we will have lost this country. We have got to stand together and you got to make sure that we work with our neighbors to wake them up to this reality.”
NRA President David Keene, who traveled to Albany for the rally, also said the protest was about constitutional rights and aimed his comments at Cuomo.
“There are lot of people in this country that remember Andrew Cuomo. He is like a bad penny who keeps turning up,” Keene said.
Keene, along with fellow speakers, admonished Cuomo for saying “You don’t need 10 bullets to kill a deer” and said the Second Amendment “doesn’t simply apply to squirrel hunting.”
Keene said the NRA is a diverse group of citizens believing in the second amendment. He said members not only stand up for their rights, but also support people who stand with them and “work to get rid of those in public office who do not.”
Several protesters wore Ulster County stickers. George Amedore, R-Rotterdam, narrowly lost his state senate race to Cecilia Tkaczyk, D-Duanesburg, in part in Ulster. Tkaczyk didn’t take office until after the SAFE Act vote due to litigation over ballots, but said she supported the strengthened gun laws.
Amedore said opponents of the SAFE Act have “spoke the truth,” but it “fell on deaf ears.” Amedore said it is time for advocates to be united and hold accountable all lawmakers who were in favor of the “unconstitutional” legislation.
“We cannot allow our fury to diminish,” Amedore said. “I call upon you to stoke the ember and keep the flame of freedom and liberty alive in each and every one of us to fight this terrible act.”
Assemblyman Steven McLaughlin, R-Melrose, along with other speakers, called out the governor on how the bill was passed, by using a message of necessity to avoid the standard waiting period for a bill to be passed.
“This bill was passed under cover of darkness in a cowardly move,” McLaughlin said.
McLaughlin previously apologized after saying Hitler and Mussolini would be proud of how the governor railed through the new gun laws. He said he used “a poor analogy” and called Cuomo to apologize.
“In the heat of the moment, I let my passion overcome me and made an insensitive remark that has overshadowed a serious matter regarding democracy in New York State,” McLaughlin said in a statement on Feb. 5.
New York State Rifle & Pistol Association President Thomas King after the rally admitted it was “hard to say” what effect the protest would have on repealing the law and swaying legislators who support it.
“I think the governor will deny it and I think there are other legislators who will say, ‘Wow, they’re better organized and there is more of them then I ever thought,’” King said. “It may change some opinions and that’s what rallies are for — to change some opinions.”
NYSRPA Vice President Jacob Rieper said organization plans to soon file a lawsuit seeking to abolish the SAFE Act. The group filed a notice of claim, or intent to sue, on Jan. 29, that alleged the law violated constitutional rights, among other claims.