Horror at Slayings, Anger at Cuomo
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323393304578360750593759598.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
By ERICA ORDEN

MOHAWK, N.Y.—Patrons of Side Street, a pub in this tiny village, gasped Wednesday afternoon as they watched a televised news conference about a shooting spree here, recognizing the names of the dead as their friends and neighbors.

But when Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the shootings showed no community "is beyond the scope of senseless gun violence," a chorus of boos rose up.

To many here, it seemed the governor was using a shooting that left four dead and two injured to highlight the need for the sweeping new gun laws he pushed through in January—measures that were deeply unpopular here in the heart of New York's gun country.

"It's not guns, it's the people behind the guns," said Kim Robinson, 60 years old, as he stood with friends at the bar—just steps from a shooting site. "And this is not going to change our view on gun control."

Mr. Cuomo didn't mention gun control during his news conference, and his spokesman, Matt Wing, said: "This was an a horrific tragedy for the community, and the governor wanted to be there for the people of Mohawk and Herkimer."

But the reaction to his presence illustrated the political challenges he faces upstate.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo, center, in Herkimer, N.Y., during a visit on Wednesday.

Herkimer County has been the epicenter of the backlash to the gun laws. Home to the state's largest gun maker, the Remington Arms Co. factory, which employs about 1,250 people, Herkimer was the first county to call for the repeal of the new gun laws, with a legislature resolution. Dozens of others have followed. Generations of families have found work in the gun industry in this rural area east of Syracuse between the Catskills to the south and the Adirondacks to the north. Hunting is a popular past time.

On Wednesday, Kurt Myers, a 64-year-old resident, allegedly used a shotgun to fire on random people and police in three separate incidents across the villages of Mohawk and Herkimer, before police killed him in a shootout Thursday morning, authorities said.

The violent outburst rattled the area, but many, even those close to the victims, said the shootings only deepened their belief that new gun laws are the problem, not an answer to gun violence. "It makes me want to lock and load, basically," said Brian Diehl, 45, who builds shotguns for Remington and knew one of the victims, Michael Renshaw, who was fatally shot at an auto-service shop.

Wearing a gun-rights T-shirt that said, "Cuomo Made Me a Criminal," Mr. Diehl expressed a common view here: The governor wouldn't have come to Herkimer if not to promote his firearms restrictions.

Not everyone agrees. Herkimer Mayor Mark Ainsworth said Mr. Cuomo, with whom he met privately on Wednesday, didn't raise the issue of gun control. "It meant a lot to me personally and to my community that he was here," Mr. Ainsworth said.

The state's new gun laws classify more semiautomatic rifles as so-called assault weapons, make it illegal to own ammunition magazines with more than seven rounds and require many gun owners to renew their licenses every five years, among other measures.

There have been persistent fears in this economically depressed region that the new restrictions would hurt Remington's business, though earlier this month the company said it plans to invest $20 million in upgrading its facility in Ilion, N.Y. A company spokeswoman didn't respond to a request for comment.

"It's a sensitive issue, but you really need to watch what you're doing so it doesn't affect economies," said Richard Sweeney, 62, of Mohawk. "That's the last pulse left in these small towns."

Those feelings have helped lower the governor's poll numbers. Since the gun laws passed, his job approval rating fell upstate to 49% in March from 58% in October, according to a Wall Street Journal/ NBC NY/ Marist College poll last week.

Though many people here own firearms for hunting and self-defense, gun violence is rare. Herkimer village police reported no homicides between 2007 and 2012, according to the state Division of Criminal Justice Services. Mohawk village hasn't reported index crime data to the division since 2008. When it reported in 2007 and for 10 months of 2008, no murders were reported.

Bernie Sommer, 48, is a volunteer fireman who oversaw the team Wednesday that responded to the fire the shooter set to his home before beginning his spree. He said the events hadn't altered his perspective on gun control.

"Anybody who wants to do what this guy did isn't going to be prevented by gun laws," said Mr. Sommer, who said he hunts deer and coyotes. "We should have the right to bear arms—we're bearing arms against animals most of the time."

State police Superintendent Joseph D'Amico said Thursday that Mr. Myers wouldn't have had to register with the state to purchase the shotgun used in the shootings. State Police said information about the make of the weapon wasn't yet available.

Perspectives in Herkimer could change as the effects of Wednesday's events permeate the community. And statewide, most New York residents either support the gun laws or think they didn't go far enough, while 30% believe the gun laws went too far, according to the Journal poll.

But here in Mohawk, even the victims' friends said their stance on gun rights remained firm. Mr. Renshaw's friend, Nick Kravec, 37, said: "I don't like guns. I can't stand guns. But I believe everyone should have the right to have a gun."

Write to Erica Orden at [email protected]

A version of this article appeared March 15, 2013, on page A15 in the U.S. edition of The Wall Street Journal, with the headline: Horror at Slayings, Anger at Cuomo.

I love how the media keeps using a poll of about 1000 people most likely located in the NY City area as most New Yorkers agree with A-holes new gun laws. Just look at the county map and that should tell you about most New Yorkers. NY City and their politicians are the ones that agree.

19.5 million people in New York State, 8.5 million people in New York City.  Long Island has 7.5 million people, and Westchester County has about 1 million people.

43% of the population of New York State resides in NYC.  87% of the population of New York State resides in either Westchester, NYC, or Long Island.

By polling only from those places, they are accounting for 87% of the population.  This is reality.

That means that the population of upstate is about 2.5 million.  There are several states in the country with less population than that.  Upstate has little in common with downstate, and should be a separate state.  We have natural resources that could be developed, so we could survive economically without them.  Plus, we would be free of their radicalism.

75% tax on all income earned "out of state" should do it

NO.

NYC (5 boroughs) - 8,244,910
Suffolk County - 1,499,273
Nassau County - 1,349,233

Total combined population for NYC and LI is roughly 11,093,416

Weschester - 961,670

Total for NYC + Westchester + LI = 12,055,086 (almost 62%)

19,570,261 state population - 12,055,086 = 7,515,175 upstate (without Westchester) or 8,476,845 including Westchester.

And events like these are how they are going to ban and confiscate shotguns after the

1)  "Assault Weapons"
2)  Handguns
3)  "Sniper Rifles" (hunting / scoped rifles)

are all rounded up.

Biden:  "Get a shotgun," (we won't get around to banning them for at least 5 more years).