N.Y. gun-rights advocates upset over tipline

The state hotline offers a reward for tips on people suspected of having illegal guns. ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Add another match to the volatile fuels feeding the gun-rights debate in New York. Gun-rights supporters and some of their allies in the Legislature contend that the state wants neighbors to snitch against gun-owning neighbors and turn in individuals suspected of having illegal firearms under New York's new gun-control law. As evidence, they point to a recent email from the state Division of Criminal Justice Services to police chiefs about a toll-free tipline "to encourage residents to report illegal firearm possession." Tipsters can get $500, the email states. Republican Assemblyman Bill Nojay accused Gov. Andrew Cuomo and his administration of bolstering the program to increase compliance with the gun law, saying that many gun owners aren't planning to register their weapons with the state. "What do you do about that? You go to the old formula of regimes with unpopular programs and you develop a snitch or informant network," Nojay said in a radio interview Thursday. Republican state Sen. James Seward said he has concerns that the initiative will lead communities to turn against themselves. "To pit neighbor against neighbor and to have a financial reward and turning in a neighbor for something, I think is just bad," Seward said. "I hope that the administration will consider not moving forward with this." STORY: Lawsuit challenges N.Y. gun law STORY: Gun law supporters rally State officials don't deny that the email is authentic, nor do they dispute the existence of the tipline. The problem, they contend, is that the tipline was created in February 2012 and the email was a reminder to police chiefs about its existence. "This program has been in place for more than a year and is aimed only at getting illegal crime guns off the streets: a goal that every New Yorker can agree with," said DCJS spokeswoman Janine Kava. A February 2012 news release from the governor's office promoted a new anti-violence plan, including the tipline. "Individuals in communities with persistently high rates of gun violence will now have access to a dedicated hotline to report illegal guns," the news release stated. " Rewards will be determined based on the value of the lead." The Rev. Jill Bradway of Henrietta, N.Y., holds a sign in support of the SAFE Act during a rally of supporters of the act at Rochester city hall.(Photo: Annette Lein, Rochester (N.Y.) Democrat and Chronicle) Also, a June 2012 newsletter from DCJS highlights the $500 reward and uses almost identical language in parts from the email recently distributed. The newly fashioned initiative does include a texting option. Gun-rights supporters maintain that the timing of the recent email suspiciously aligns with the new gun law, known as the SAFE Act, which was approved in January and signed by Cuomo. The SAFE Act, which includes an assault weapons ban and restrictions on magazine rounds, has been roundly decried by gun-rights supporters. But nearly two out of every three New Yorkers backed the initiative in a recent poll.