Bellavia criticizes Collins on alleged gun stance

Congressional Candidate David Bellavia has publicly criticized his opponent, and former Erie County County Executive, Chris Collins for his alleged position on gun control. The Bellavia camp recently called attention to Collins’ reported support for a New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg endorsed gun control initiative in 2008. At that time, Collins allegedly helped Bloomberg found County Executives Against Illegal Guns, an organization that promotes gun control legislation on a County level and opposes efforts to loosen gun controls.

Collins has publicly repudiated Bellavia’s claims and says that he was “snookered” into signing a letter accepting a place as a founding member of the group. However, a press release from County Executives Against Illegal Guns that was released at the time of its founding makes no mention of Collins as a member, founding or otherwise. Mayor Bloomberg himself had no comment on the matter. Bloomberg has not endorsed either Bellavia or Collins.

As the battling between the two candidates called attention to the gun control issue, the Hochul camp took advantage of the situation. “Congresswoman Hochul has always been a staunch advocate of Second Amendment rights, starting in her days as County Clerk and throughout her time in the House,” reads a statement from her campaign. “Rep Hochul has demonstrated that she will continue to cross party lines to ensure those rights are protected.”