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Onondaga County Legislature will voice opinion on state's gun laws

The Onondaga County Legislature is expected to join a growing list of county governments cementing their opposition to New York's new, stricter, gun control laws.

About 20 other counties across the state, mostly rural, have already passed resolutions against the New York SAFE Act, which was signed into law by Gov. Andrew Cuomo in January. Included on that list of counties is Oswego, whose legislature voted unanimously in opposition to the gun bill.

Onondaga County Republican Legislator Kevin Holmquist says they could take up the gun laws as soon as their next full session.

"There is no possible justification as to the contents of this so-called ‘Safe Act,’" he said Friday. "I believe there is nothing safe about this so-called 'Safe Act.'"

Holmquist, and many other Republican lawmakers and gun rights advocates, say the new firearms restrictions were passed through Albany too quickly and without any public input.

"Are there some good components of the SAFE Act? Sure. But it needs to see the light of day; it needs to have public debate. It has to be considered, it has to be vetted," he said.

The SAFE Act tightens the definition of an assault weapon, limits ammunition magazine sizes and has new requirements on registering weapons.

The Ways and Means Committee meets Monday morning. The next full session of the Legislature is March 5.

Any resolution the Republican-dominated Legislature passed would be non-binding and would not have an effect on the law's implementation.