Mamaroneck REVIEW THE
June 29, 2018 | Vol. 6, Number 26 | www.mamaroneckreview.com
Gun assoc. opposes firearm ban in town buildings By FRANCO FINO Staff Writer Representatives from the Westchester County Firearm Owners Association, WCFOA, are saying a firearm ban on town property could leave the locations defenseless to criminals and terrorists. According to Mario Muollo, the vice president of the firearms association, the proposed legislation, which would prohibit people from possessing firearms in town-owned and town-leased buildings or face a fine of up to $1,000, will not deter criminal behavior. Instead, he said criminals and terrorists would be encouraged to commit an offense on town property, as passing the law would advertise the buildings are gun-free zones.
“To grant unjust preferential treatment to certain citizens is a direct violation of the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause. If that portion is not removed, it’ll be challenged.” – Mario Muollo, county Firearm Owners Association
“This is an abuse of what the legal system was designed to do,” Muollo told the Review. “The board is obviously making a political statement and dressing it up as a law, and is not proposing sound realistic measures.” Proposed on June 6, the legislation, which currently sits in front of an all-Democrat town board, would ban firearm possession in a number of town properties, in-
INSIDE LMCTV names new exec. director Page 8.
cluding the Mamaroneck Town Center, the Hommocks Park Ice Rink, the Sheldrake Environmental Center and the town firehouse on Weaver Street, among other notable locations. A public hearing on the proposal is scheduled for July 11. The town originally proposed the ban in late 2016, following the controversial opening of a gun store near an elementary school in nearby Harrison. However, after fervent disapproval from the public and questions over the proposal’s constitutionality, Mamaroneck lawmakers tabled the resolution. That proposal looked to ban firearm possession on all town property, including public parks and other areas owned by the municipality, except for those that were authorized by the law. Under the newly proposed legislation, only police and peace officers, employees of banking institutions whose job requires transporting money and “individuals in the service of the United States” would be exempt from the gun ban. Custodian engineers would also be exempted from the ban; there are currently two of them employed by the town. The penalty for violating the potential ban would be a court-imposed fine of no less than $500 and not more than $1000, according to the legislation. With the proposal limiting firearm possession to just a small number of individuals, Muollo said one of the many issues with the legislation is that police officers become regular pistol permit-owning citizens once they retire. Ultimately, under the law, if a police officer retires, he or she would lose their ability to carry a firearm in town buildings. BAN continued on page 8
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Rye Neck High School seniors receive their diplomas on Thursday, June 21. For more of the Class of 2018, see page 6. Photo courtesy Rye Neck school distict
Westchester County red-light cameras stall in Albany By FRANCO FINO Staff Writer Westchester won’t be getting red-light cameras; at least not until next year when state lawmakers can propose a new law granting the county permission to install the cameras. Last week, a bill that would have authorized the county government the ability to install such cameras, sponsored by state Sen. Andrea Stewart-Cousins, a Yonkers Democrat, and state Assemblyman Gary Pretlow, a Mount Vernon Democrat, failed to make it through the Legislature before the end of its legislative ses-
sion. As of press time, the bill is currently awaiting approval in committee. In a unanimous vote on June 11, the county Board of Legislators approved what’s known as a home rule in a last-minute effort to authorize state lawmakers to pitch the bill before the end of the their legislative session. Westchester lawmakers called for a special meeting on June 8, which many thought gave state representatives enough time to propose a bill before the end of legislative session, which ended on June 20. Under state law, before state lawmakers can propose formal
legislation to grant local governments permission to install redlight cameras, the local government must first adopt a home rule resolution, which signifies official support from the municipality. In a unanimous vote on June 11, the county Board of Legislators approved what’s known as a home rule in a last-minute effort to authorize state lawmakers to pitch the bill before the end of the their legislative session. Legislators were aiming to install roughly 100 red-light cameras at intersections throughout the county. Additionally, the state bill would have granted the county permission to establish a
new traffic and parking enforcement agency. CAMERAS continued on page 13
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