Richard Wishnie, Robert Darcy, Sue Swanson, Katherine Carsky

Dolores Heredia, George Gretsas

The meeting commenced at 3:50 PM.

The first issue on the agenda was the proposal to add to the legislative package a resolution calling on the State legislature to change the penal law in relation to how handguns are licensed. The proposal is a three part proposal:

1. to allow handgun licenses to be issued for fixed terms expiring within 4 years of issuance.

2. to require initial license applicants to satisfactorily complete a course in firearm use safety.

3. to allow the County to charge a licensing fee more reflective of the cost of the application process. Under the present law the licensing fee is fixed at $10.00. For new licenses the cost should be $40 to $50 dollars since the County charges $185 to process the initial application. Renewal would cost a total of $5.00 dollars.

Leg. Mosiello asked Leg. Abinanti to define "recertification". Leg. Abinanti explained that in Nassau and Suffolk Counties there is a 5 year license. At the end of five years, the authorities in these counties do a background check -- a paper background check. A form is sent through the mail and the gun owner replies and sends in the recertification form with the appropriate fee. The gun owner will then receive a new license. If there is a problem, a different form is sent to the gun owner and he or she is asked to come in with their guns. Leg. Abinanti explained this places accountability with gun owners.

The County Clerk, Leonard Spano said that Westchester County has 63,200 licenses on file with a population of 800,000. In contrast, Nassau County has 32,000 and its population is 2 million. According to Mr. Spano, these statistics indicate something is wrong. Westchester County has been computerized for approximately 5 years and 6,000 licenses are currently in the computer. Over the last three years, the numbers for new permits are: 787 in 1994, 846 in 1995, and 597 in 1996. Since the County has been computerized for 5 years the number of new licenses should approximate 4,000. This 4,000 added to the 6,000 computerized records do not add up to the 63,200 permits in Westchester County. Constituents, who attended the meeting, voiced their opinion: Mr. Doughty discussed a proposal for a computerized system. Charlotte Watson, the Executive Director of My Sister’s Place, and a police officer, discussed domestic violence and stated that the weapon of choice in domestic violence cases is handguns.

The Committee adjourned at 5:30 PM.