Assemblyman Robert Smullen (R,C-Mohawk Valley and the Adirondacks) supports Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas who moved for a full court conference to be held on Oct. 6, 2023, to revisit provisions of the Concealed Carry Improvement Act (CCIA) that went into effect on Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023. Smullen believes the new law is unconstitutional. The new gun law requires the state police to conduct background checks prior to any ammunition purchase through the Statewide License and Record Database and shifts responsibility to the State Police for conducting federal National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) background checks for firearm purchases. Additional fees will also be imposed for firearm and ammunition purchases.

“Cracking down on law-abiding gun owners in upstate New York is yet another government overreach we cannot allow. The real problem is the illegal guns on the streets that are going under the radar while legislation such as the Concealed Carry Improvement Act only punishes lawful gun owners, once again, and just in time for hunting season,” said Smullen. “Crime rates do not decrease when you attack the wrong source of crime and fail to address the root of the problem. Lawful gun owners deserve to exercise their constitutional right, and I will continue to fight for that freedom.

“I strongly support Justice Thomas in his decision to intervene in the Albany Majority’s Concealed Carry Improvement Act. I am hopeful this emergency conference will allow the Supreme Court to fully review the consequences of what I believe are unconstitutional gun laws on lawful gun owners. This heavy-handed legislation has over-complicated the state’s system for conducting background checks, and it will leave irreparable damage in its wake for New York citizens who are simply exercising their 2nd Amendment rights.”