Editor, The Spotlight:
I am a lifelong resident of Upstate New York. I am an environmentalist and sportsman. I belong to a trapshooting club, a hunting club and Ducks Unlimited.
I am married to a special education administrator and have a son who is a police officer and a daughter who is a social worker. I am also the grandfather of two preschool kids.
I applaud Governor Cuomo and the New York Legislature’s leadership in enacting the SAFE Act earlier this year.
It is time for similar action on the national level. Specifically, Congress should enact the following: universal background checks for the purchase of firearms; limitation on magazine clip size; and a ban on new private ownership of assault weapons.
As an attorney, I see no conflict between any of these measures and our Second Amendment rights. None of these measures will affect my ability to continue with my passion for waterfowl hunting and trapshooting, nor will they adversely affect my ability to defend my home and family.
What these measures may do is make it safer for my wife, son and daughter as they go about their daily work of helping and protecting others. My son and daughter are routinely in harm’s way; I firmly believe these actions will improve their safety and the safety of countless other teachers, police officers, social workers and children. If one life is saved because of the enactment of these measures, it is worth it.
Keith Silliman, Glenmont