Ted Remsnyder is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media the Columbia County Board of Supervisors approved Sept. 14, a resolution in opposition to new state gun legislation over the protestations of the board's Democrats who argued that the voting process was rushed. The new gun laws were signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul on July 1 in the aftermath of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling June 23 that struck down a century-old New York concealed carry law. The new legislation restricts the carrying of concealed weapons in designated sensitive locations, including government buildings, hospitals, bars, restaurants, and public transportation. The laws also expanded on eligibility requirements under the state's concealed carry permitting process, including mandated firearm training courses for all applicants. The Columbia County resolution calls on municipalities throughout the state, and organizations including the American Civil Liberties Union, to contest the state laws in court. Board of Supervisors Chair Matt Murell voted in favor of the resolution. “I believe honest people who have done everything according to the law in getting a pistol permit and a concealed carry permit, they’ve dotted their Is and crossed their Ts and then all of a sudden everything changes for them,” Murell said. “They could accidentally walk into an establishment with his concealed weapon and then be convicted of a felony when they really haven’t done anything is wrong.” New Lebanon Town Supervisor and Board Minority Leader Tistrya Houghtling, a self-described gun owner from a "...responsible gun-owning family,..," said she had questions about the board’s proposed resolution. Houghtling said she could not take a stand on the resolution either way because she had not been given enough time to read the state legislation. Hudson 3rd Ward Supervisor Michael Chameides was the only supervisor to oppose the resolution. “We don’t want to rush through this legislation. We want to be thorough, we want to be careful and we want to do things not based on political motivations, but based on real solutions. I’m not convinced we’re doing that,” Chameides said. Houghtling was among the supervisors to abstain from the vote based on a lack of time to study the state legislation that was the subject of the measure. The resolution is just an opinion, and Columbia County officials will take no action. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.