NEW YORK STATE: Press Release From Andrew Cuomo

ROCHESTER MAYOR ROBERT DUFFY ENDORSES ANDREW CUOMO FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL.

Mayor Duffy and Assemblymembers Joe Morelle and David Koon Praise Cuomo’s Record of Results and Commitment to Fighting Gun Violence

ROCHESTER, NY (July 27, 2006) – Today, New York State Attorney General candidate Andrew Cuomo won the endorsement of joined by Mayor Robert Duffy and Assemblymembers Joe Morelle and David Koon to discuss the fight to protect New Yorkers from gun violence.

“As a Mayor of Rochester, I know I need a partner in the Attorney General who has made protecting New Yorkers and fighting gun violence a top priority and Andrew Cuomo is the man for the job,” said Mayor Robert Duffy. “Andrew Cuomo will be our toughest advocate to fight to get illegal guns off our streets and out of the hands of criminals. He will fight to hold reckless gun dealers and manufacturers accountable for the products they sell and will make sure the federal government is doing everything they can to empower law enforcement to solve crimes and protect our families.”

“I am proud to stand with Andrew Cuomo who will be our next Attorney General,” Assemblyman David Koon. “As HUD Secretary under President Clinton, Andrew stood up to the gun lobby and negotiated the historic Safe Guns Agreement on behalf of the Administration to change the way guns were designed and distributed. With his record, integrity and commitment, there is no question that as Attorney General, Andrew will continue to be a tough advocate and leader in the fight to protect law enforcement and our families from these deadly weapons.”

“Andrew Cuomo is the best qualified candidate to be our next Attorney General,” said Assemblyman Morelle. “Andrew will continue to do what he has done all his life—fight the good fights and win. As a Cabinet Secretary under President Clinton, he stared down NRA, Andrew brought more than 2,000 anti-discrimination enforcement actions, and fought to rid our streets of illegal guns, sued the KKK, and cleaned up a massive federal agency that had been rife with waste, fraud and abuse. Andrew Cuomo is the candidate we trust to succeed Eliot Spitzer.”

“I am honored to have the support of Mayor Duffy and to stand here today with Assemblymen Morelle and Koon. Their record protecting the citizens of Rochester and fighting for public safety is exemplary. As Attorney General, I will work my hardest to protect the citizens of Rochester and New York from the scourge of gun violence. I will work with Assemblyman Koon to ensure that cop-killing bullets is no longer available to anyone. I will fight to ensure that we choke off the flow of illegal guns on our streets and hold the gun industry responsible for the products they sell. For too long now, the Bush Administration and the Republican Congress has buckled under the pressure of the gun lobby and allowed the NRA dictate how we protect our citizens. The era of special interests infringing on our safety is over. I will stop at nothing to stand up for New Yorkers and protect their families.”

Andrew Cuomo’s Record Fighting Gun Violence

Negotiated Landmark HUD Safe Gun Agreement with Smith & Wesson: In 2000, on behalf of the Clinton Administration, HUD Secretary Andrew Cuomo negotiated the landmark Safe Gun Agreement with Smith & Wesson—the largest gun manufacturer in the nation—setting the stage for a potential global industry-wide settlement and providing the template for subsequent gun manufacturer and gun dealer codes of conduct. Under the historic settlement, the gun maker agreed to make sweeping and dramatic changes in the way it manufactures, distributes, and markets firearms to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and children. In return the mayors of the cities, the county executives, and Attorneys General (including New York’s Eliot Spitzer), agreed to drop their claims against Smith & Wesson.

The HUD Safe Gun Agreement included critical enforcement and oversight mechanisms that specified Smith & Wesson would: 1) follow a gun manufacturer code of conduct prohibiting the company from doing business with dealers responsible for selling a disproportionate number of guns used in crimes; 2) bar gun sales without a background check of the buyer to prevent straw purchases and other suspect firearm sales; 3) require the inclusion of gun tracing data and mandate a comprehensive series of safety features including locking devices, “smart gun” technology, and other features to prevent accidental and criminal gun deaths; 4) limit the delivery of multiple handgun sales; and, 5) refrain from advertising in a manner that appeals to criminals.

The HUD Safe Gun Agreement, in response to pressure from the gun lobby, was voided.

Created Nationwide Communities for Safer Guns Coalition: To promote the agreement’s code of conduct and ensure its implementation nationwide, Cuomo launched the Communities for Safer Guns Coalition comprised of more than 400 state and local governments around the nation. Coalition members pledged to give favorable consideration in their purchase of firearms to gun manufacturers that adopted new gun safety and dealer responsibility standards.

Members of the Communities for Safer Guns Coalition in New York State included officials from: Akron, Albany, Amsterdam, Auburn, Babylon, Baldwinsville, Bethany, Binghamton, Brighton, Bronx, Brooklyn, Buffalo, Byron, Chateaugay, Chester, Chestnut Ridge, Chozy, Colonie, Constable, Coventry, Croton-on-Hudson, Cuba, Darien, East Hampton, Elmira, Erie County, Evans, Freeport, Geneseo, Glen Cove, Greenburgh, Green Island, Hempstead, Holley, Hornell, Ithaca, LaGrange, Le Roy, Liberty, Long Beach, Lyons, Madison County, Manhattan, Middletown, Manlius, Mount Morris, Mount Vernon, Nassau County, New Castle, New Paltz, New Rochelle, New Square, New York City, New York State, Niagara County, North Hempstead, North Tonawanda, Olive, Oneonta, Orangetown, Orchard Park, Ossining, Oyster Bay, Plattekill, Plattsburgh, Pomona, Queens, Ramapo, Rockville Center, Russia, Saratoga Springs, Schenectady, Southampton, Southold, Springfield, Spring Valley, Staten Island, Troy, Unionville, Utica, Westchester County, Wurtsboro, and Yorkshire.

Launched Officer Next Door Program: To help keep neighborhoods safe and make community policing a reality, Cuomo launched the Officer Next Door Program which allowed police officers to purchase homes in the communities they policed for half the price.

Organized Gun Buyback and Violence Reduction Initiative: As HUD Secretary Cuomo organized the Gun Buyback and Violence Reduction Initiative, the largest gun buyback program in the nation’s history. This program helped to remove more than 10,000 guns from America’s streets. The program enabled police departments around the country to buy guns from the public on a “no questions asked” basis.

Andrew Cuomo has been endorsed by three of New York’s key law enforcement organizations: the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association (PBA), the Sergeants Benevolent Association (SBA) and the Detectives’ Endowment Association (DEA).

On May 28th, Cuomo earned the endorsements of Sarah and James S. Brady, two of the nation’s greatest leaders in the fight to prevent gun violence. James S. Brady, former White House Press Secretary to President Reagan, was shot, along with Reagan and two law enforcement officers, when John Hinckley attempted to assassinate the President on March 30, 1981.

Letter from Sarah Brady Endorsing Andrew Cuomo for Attorney General 
Posted By RoundupNewswires.com Editor Brian Harrod