To the Editor:

I normally toss political circulars that arrive in my post box in Guilderland, but a few days ago my eye was caught by a colorful, glossy attack ad by George Amedore on Cecilia Tkzcayk.  The ad implied that Senator Tkaczyk was a supporter of the New York State SAFE [Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement] Act, and as a result is endangering our Constitutional rights.

Mr. Amedore, of course, is pictured as a responsible hunter and fisherman, fully committed to responsible gun ownership.  Never mind that Senator Tkaczyk has never said that she opposed "responsible" gun ownership, and that many National Rifle Association members are opposed to any kind of restrictions on gun control (the Second Amendment, they argue, is "absolute").  And never mind that there remains to this day reasonable disagreement about just what the Second Amendment is all about.

Worse, however, is the deceptive way in which quotations from several newspaper sources are used to support Mr. Amedore's claim:  Daily Freeman (March 31, 2013); Times Union (Jan. 15, 2013; and Saugerties Times (undated).  In each case, the supposed quotation from Senator Tkaczyk is seriously taken out of context, and does not support the sound bite displayed in the ad.  I have underlined the words that appear in the ad itself.

For example, the Daily Freeman (March 31, 2013) full quotation is:

There is always more to do, though, Tkaczyk said.  For instance the [SAFE Act contains] flaws...but she would have supported it because it includes aspects she likes, such as universal background checks for all firearm purchases.  Related to the adoption of the SAFE Act is a bill Tkaczyk co-sponsored with Sen. Terry Gipson...called the "Vampire Act."  Tkazcyk said that would prevent the state Legislature from voting on bills in the middle of the night, such as was done with the SAFE Act.  [The bill would give] people more time to weigh in on issues.

The corresponding quotation from the Saugerties Times (March 2, 2014) is:

She [Senator Tkazcyk] sees good and bad in this control-of-guns legislation [SAFE Act].  She doesn't like the way the bill was passed via the governor's message of necessity, but she would have voted for it.  The seven-round limit on ten-round clips doesn't make sense to the senator.  She doubts the law will be repealed, but says changes can be made.  "It happens all the time," she said.

To say, on the basis of the selected phrases, that our Second Amendment rights are under attack by Senator Tkazcyk and "her NYC allies" is simply perverse — and grossly deceptive.  There are other issues than this to discuss, issues much more important in reality to upstate voters and citizens.  Let's make sure that these conversations are not derailed by emotional tomfoolery.

T.G. McFadden

Guilderland