Assemblyman Butler Proposes Different NY SAFE Act for Upstate New York

One New York legislator is proposing some changes to the New York SAFE Act.Based on the fact that two separate minimum wage requirements were recently enacted by the legislature for residents of New York City and the central and upper parts of New York, Assemblyman Marc Butler is proposing that gun legislation be dealt with in the same manner.

Most of the arrests and convictions from the New York SAFE Act have come from New York City, Butler says, and he thinks that law enforcement officers in Upstate New York have responded differently to the NY SAFE Act than those downstate.

The Assemblyman says that -  if New York can enact different minimum wage requirements for New York City, Long Island and Westchester, and Upstate New York - then it should be acceptable to enact different gun laws for those regions as well.

His ultimate goal, he says, is to eliminate the SAFE Act upstate altogether.

Butler says that he would define "upstate" New York the same way that it has been defined in the wage hike argument, with "Upstate New York" consisting of those counties north of Westchester County.  "There is an acknowledgement," he says, "that we have different circumstances."

He wants residents of New York to weigh in on the proposal by contacting his office or by starting an online petition.  He is still conferring with his staff to determine exactly what formal action he intends to take.  He does, however, feel as though the next logical step is to propose a bill to amend the NY SAFE Act.