BAD MOVE: New York Republican Ends His Career By Siding With Democrats On Gun Control And Ban On AR-15s

After backing with Democrats on gun regulation, a New York Republican House representative has resigned. The Buffalo News reports that New York Rep. Chris Jacobs has decided not to run for reelection after announcing his support for a ban on AR15s and other so-called assault weapons, among other gun control measures.

He plans to vote for a Democrat-sponsored bill in the House next week that would ban high-capacity magazines and raise the minimum age for purchasing an assault weapon from 18 to 21, and he is working on a bill that would prohibit the purchase of certain body armor with Democrats.

He lost every support he had by siding with House Speaker and California Representative Nancy Pelosi. “This definitely stems from my views and declarations about being sympathetic to gun legislation last Friday,” he added.

“Since then, every Republican elected person who had backed me has withdrawn their support.” Most of the party officials who backed me withdrew, and those who claimed they would stated they wouldn’t. As a result, it’s clear that this did not go down well with the Republican base.”

This is his first term in Congress, and it seems to be his last for the time being. State Republican Party Chairman Nicholas A. Langworthy began collecting signatures on a petition to challenge him in the August primary, while former GOP gubernatorial candidate Carl P. Paladino announced his intention to fight in the primary, rapidly winning Rep. Elise Stefanik’s support.

Stefanik wrote, “I am delighted to announce my endorsement of my buddy Carl Paladino in #NY23.” “Carl is a job creator and a conservative outsider who will be a dedicated advocate for New Yorkers in our struggle to preserve the country by putting America First.”

Jacobs stated that he thought he had a chance to win, but that he did not want a nasty primary. “I genuinely believe I can win this,” he continued, “but it would be a terribly divisive contest for our party and for the district.”

“There’s a good chance there’ll be a lot of outside money flowing in, which will make the gun problem a major issue.” And any attempt to take this conversation forward in a meaningful way will be hampered by this division.” After the horrific massacre at a Tops supermarket a few weeks ago, he made pro-gun control sentiments during a news conference.

“I want to be absolutely open and honest about my position in Congress.” “I would vote for an assault weapons prohibition measure that would outlaw something like an AR-15 if it got to the floor,” he stated. “I believe I’ve been empathetic when I read and heard about prior occurrences like this over the years,” he said in an interview with The Buffalo News. “But I guess there’s just something notably different when it occurs in your community, to people you know.” “This has been a life-changing experience for me.”

“Being a father and having young children and visualizing what those parents are going through and, I guess, being able to feel it more personally certainly has had an impact as well,” the representative said.

“Individuals cannot buy beer; they cannot get cigarettes until 21. I think it’s perfectly reasonable that the age limit at least for these highly lethal, high- capacity semiautomatic weapons should be 21,” he argued. “I think it’s reasonable to say: does a civilian need more than a 10-round magazine in their in their guns?” he said. “And I think that that’s the type of thing where you really need a national policy because otherwise, you know, (higher-capacity) magazines are going to be floating around from state to state.”

When he ran for the post, though, he boasted about the National Rifle Association’s backing. “It is a true pleasure to be the only candidate for NY-27 to earn the NRA’s support,” he stated. “I’ve always been a supporter of law-abiding gun owners. I pledge to continue this dedication to our rights, and gun owners in Western New York can rest confident that they have a friend and a warrior in Congress in me.”