Hawley says Albion Gun Shop victim of ‘unconstitutional infringement’

Press release, State Assemblyman Steve Hawley

ALBION – State Assemblyman Steve Hawley released this statement following reports that Albion Gun Shop owner Joe Palumbo was told by the State Police to turn over records of customers who purchased AR-15 guns.

“Any bill that is rushed through the Legislature in the middle of the night without enough time to be read or debated is going to have serious problems, and that’s what we are seeing now with the SAFE Act. The SAFE Act is so poorly written that nobody knows exactly what constitutes a so-called ‘assault weapon’ under the law.

“The Albion Gun Shop is the latest victim of this unconstitutional infringement on law-abiding citizens. This particular case is absurd because the shop’s owner was previously told his weapons were in compliance with the SAFE Act and now is being told the opposite. Now, he could face serious legal consequences.

“I voted against the SAFE Act because of situations exactly like this – the Albion Gun Shop did everything they could to be in compliance with the law, but still unintentionally went against it with serious consequences to their business. I stand with the Albion Gun Shop and will continue to push for the SAFE Act to be repealed.”