County Supers Weigh 2nd Amendment Resolution

By Chris English

SCHOHARIE COUNTY — A man who believes New York State lawmakers have gone too far with restrictions on guns got a receptive audience at the Friday, Aug. 16 Schoharie County Board of Supervisors meeting.

Speaking during the privilege of the floor segment early in the meeting, Kevin Sisson told board and audience members how he and many others feel that Governor Kathleen Hochul and the state legislature have ushered in laws unfair to gun dealers and owners. Sisson, who said he has property in Essex County, also distributed copies of an Essex County Board of Supervisors resolution that makes those same points.

"It's so difficult in New York State that since June of 2020, the state has lost 288 federally licensed dealers, among the most respected of our citizens," he said.

He described the state's concealed carry regulations as an infringement on the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

"State laws require gun store cameras with two years storage," Sisson added. "It's impossible from a tech standpoint to have two years storage that has facial recognition." He went on to say that current state laws regarding background checks are "unconstitutional."

"This is about liberty and freedom and transcends political party lines," Sisson said. "We have the truth on our side."

Supervisors Chair William Federice of Conesville and Supervisors Jeffrey Haslun of Richmondville and Donald Airey of Blenheim were among the board members speaking up in support of Sisson's views.

"I could not agree more," Airey said. "It's a continuing effort through any means possible to eliminate our ability to possess firearms. I applaud you for this."

Haslun added he has spoken to several gun dealers who have told him "We're losing dealers to states like Vermont and Pennsylvania. It's challenging enough to have a business in New York. They are just adding layers to it."

Federice said Schoharie County is a "very receptive county to what you're saying. It's going to take more than Schoharie and Essex counties, but we cannot give up."

The Essex County resolution approved in October of 2023 states that, among several other points, "Governor Hochul caused the new laws to be passed and signed into law without public notification, or input from stakeholders, including, but not limited to federally-licensed dealers in firearms and attempting to preempt existing federal laws and the U.S. Constitution and its Bill of Rights."

It continues that the Essex County Board of Supervisors "vehemently, adamantly and with full resolve opposes the new law targeting licensed dealers in firearms through NY General Business Law 875, which law does have the capacity to not only cause said dealers in firearms to go out of business, but also to be arrested for any non-compliance and to face state misdemeanor A criminal charges, thus risking also that the citizens of this county and throughout this state would be made unable to exercise their fundamental first-class rights under the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution to keep and bear arms."

Sisson said after speaking at the Aug. 16 Schoharie County meeting that he is hopeful that the county's board approves a resolution similar to the Essex County document.