Democratic Leaders Propose Change to Gun Law

Currently, the law allows anyone with a conceal and carry permit to bring a gun into the county office building. (County policy does not allow county employees to do so.)

Democratic Minority Leader Carrie Andrews thinks the policy is unusual, and unsafe, especially as incidents of gun violence are on the rise.

Now she aims to do something about it, despite the opposition.

Patty Mancuso's been coming to the Monroe County Office Building all her life to inquire about jury duty and her taxes, and sometimes just to admire the architecture.

When News 8's Tina Shively told her she could've brought a legal handgun with her, she was a bit surprised.

"There are just too many people that...get too upset too quickly and lose their tempers and they dont think," said Mancuso. "So many innocent people are hurt today because of people who do that."

Democratic Minority Leader Carrie Andrews shares that sentiment.

"It just seems odd to me that at this point you could still come into the building with a weapon."

Andrews was doing some research on the ban on guns in county parks last year, when she discovered any non-county employee with a conceal and carry permit could bring a gun inside her workplace.

Now she's proposing a law to make that illegal.

She added "There is simply no reason why someone needs to have a weapon to do their business inside a county office building or county leased building."

Members of the shooters commitee on personal education, or SCOPE believe such a law would be against the law.

Ken Mathison says state and federal lawmakers, not the county legislature, are the only ones to tell him he can't bring his hand gun inside.

He told reporters he left his gun home as not to quote "be controversial".

Tina Shively asked "Do you feel its necessary to bring a gun into a building like this?" Mathison answered "I don't think its necessary, but for instance if I'm going to the pistol permit office to have an amendment made to my pemit or lock it in my car which is not a really safe thing to do. So what's the point?"

Mathison believes the building ban is uneccessary, because the extensive background check needed to get a permit would already weed out anyone who could misuse it.

That's not enough to convince Patty Mancuso.

"When you come into a building like this, you shouldn't have to be worried about things like that. You should feel safe."

Andrews says the President of the County Legislature will now assign the measure to committee.