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WPCNR COUNTY CLARION-LEDGER. From the Westchester County Department of Communications. (Edited)January 21, 2017:
Westchester County Executive Robert P. Astorino announced Friday afternoon that he had vetoed legislation passed by the county legislature that would have banned gun shows on any county property. The county legislature passed the legislation in a 9-8 vote on January 9th, 2017.
In his veto message sent down to the legislature Friday, Astorino said, “the gun show satisfies all the requirements for its legal and safe operation” and “has historically been one of the best run and most well-attended events held at the (County Center).” Astorino said he respected the “wide-range of opinion(s)” on the gun show, but is balancing the “divergent views of its citizens by using facts and the law, as opposed to emotion.” He added that the gun show at the County Center has been held for decades “without incident.”
County Legislator Virginia Perez, (District 17-Yonkers) in an interview on WHITE PLAINS TV’s
People to Be Heard Friday, available for viewing on the internet on YOUTUBE at
https://youtu.be/NDmVnVfeV0Q and www.whiteplainsweek.com, said that the county legislature Chairman Michael Kaplowitz would not bring a legislature override vote to the floor immediately, since there were not the votes to override at this time.
She said she expected the override attempt to be taken sometime during the next 11 months if the legislature could persuade 3 more votes (12 votes are needed for an override of a veto) from the Republican side to pass the law over the County Executive’s veto.
The Chairman of the Westchester County Board of Legislators, Michael Kaplowitz confirmed Ms. Perez’s comments to WPCNR in an official statement on the vote:
I am disappointed that the County Executive has vetoed the Legislation which would ban gun shows at the Westchester County Center. The preference to not use the County Center to sell guns was expressed by a majority of the Legislators and thousands of Westchester residents who signed a petition opposing the gun show. There are countless alternative venues in Westchester County to hold a sale such as this and ignoring the will of the majority of residents and Legislators speaks to the political nature of this decision.I will leave the option of overriding the County Executive’s veto on the table for the remainder of the Legislative term in hopes that a sufficient number of my colleagues will choose to join the majority who voted to ban the gun shows and override the County Executive’s veto.I will also be voting in favor of a proposed local law (Tuesday, January 24) that my Republican colleagues have submitted which would require all gun show operators at any site- public or private in Westchester County to adhere to the guidelines for gun show operations that have been established by the New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. The Republican’s Legislation which was offered as a good faith compromise to banning the gun shows will ensure that all future gun shows in Westchester County follow the highest standards for safety and accountability.
The gun show returns to the County Center this Saturday (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) and Sunday (9 a.m. to 3 p.m.). Thousands are expected to attend over the course of the weekend. The safety and security rules and protocols at the show are among the strictest in the nation.
