Niagara County legislator wants to create gun owner's rights advisory panel

Niagara County Legislator Mike Hill said he has introduced a resolution to create a gun owner’s rights advisory panel to help promote safe, legal gun ownership in Niagara County and work with gun owners to address issues they may have.

“Niagara County has a long, proud tradition of supporting the Second Amendment and we have stood with legal gun owners as they have pushed back against efforts in Albany and Washington to curtail their rights,” Hill said. “So, we began to think of ways within the scope of county government to promote safe, responsible gun owners and that developed into the concept of the gun owner’s rights advisory panel.”

Hill said the panel will be comprised of local gun owners who can make recommendations to the Niagara County Legislature for resolutions and local laws, and make suggestions on process improvements within county government.

“For example, the pandemic has led to a tremendous backlog in the pistol permit office that I have been working closely with County Clerk (Joseph) Jastrzemski to address,” Hill said. “An advisory panel may have other ideas and suggestions on how, within the confines of state law, we could further expedite the process.”

Hill said he expects his resolution to create the panel will go before the Niagara County Legislature at its April 20 meeting. He said he is confident it will pass, at which point the chairwoman can begin taking recommendations for appointment to the panel.