Rep. Tom Reed (R-Corning)

JAMESTOWN – Congressman Tom Reed’s (R-Corning, NY 23) campaign is responding to criticism from his opponent, who claimed Reed doesn’t support gun restrictions for suspected terrorists and as a result is compromising the safety of Americans.

On Wednesday candidate for Congress John Plumb (D-Lakewood) released a statement saying Reed does not support legislation that would prevent terror suspects on the federal No Fly List from purchasing a firearm. Plumb then said that Reed’s lack of support for the legislation undermines the safety of New Yorkers, adding that it continues a trend that he’s followed since being elected to congress.

On Thursday Reed’s Campaign responded to Plumb’s statements. Tom Reed for Congress spokeswoman Amy Hasenberg called Plumb’s statement outrageous and said that he is using offensive DC tactics to undermine Reed’s efforts to help protect Americans. Hasenberg also reiterated Reed’s statements from earlier in the week, saying that radical Islamic terror is the real enemy.

“Tom is at the forefront fighting for protections for the American people and he has been since he was elected into Congress,” said Hasenberg. “Any accusations that say otherwise are dishonest. Tom cares about all Americans. “Radical Islamic Terror is the real enemy here, but DC John Plumb chooses to take another play from the DC liberal insider playbook and use a national tragedy for personal political advancement.”

John Plumb

Hasenberg then accused Plumb of following the same campaign tactics used by the Democratic National Committee, which sent out a letter from minority Senate leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) addressing the Orlando mass shooting while also asking for donations.

“This goes beyond poor taste, this behavior is horrendous and disrespectful towards the people that were unfairly taken from their families,” Hasenberg stated.

Plumb is challenging Reed for New York’s 23rd Congressional District seat in this year’s General Election. Over the past two decades he’s served as a submarine officer in the Navy and later as an official at the Department of Defense. Prior to his service in the military he was raised and graduated from high school in Randolph, NY (Cattaraugus County) in 1988.

Reed is an attorney and former mayor of Corning, NY who was elected to Congress in 2010 and has represented Chautauqua County since January 2013 when redistricting created the new 23^rd congressional district – which also includes several other counties in the southern tier, stretching all the way to Tompkins County in the finger lakes region.

REED, HOUSE APPROVE BI-PARTISAN TERRORISM PREVENTION LEGISLATION

Meanwhile, Congressman Reed, along with his fellow House members, voted 402-15 on a bipartisan package of three bills Thursday known as the Countering Terrorist Radicalization Act, aimed at preventing terrorists from radicalizing Americans to attack inside the United States.

Following the vote, Reed said the legislation will help prevent foreign terrorists from using propaganda to lure Americans into committing similar attacks like the one committed in Orlando.

“We care about keeping Americans safe, and in the wake of the tragedy in Orlando, we can and must do more to counter radical Islamic terrorism,” said Reed.

“It’s only right that we work to keep Americans safe without forcing them to give up constitutional freedoms,” he added, alluding to his unwillingness to support legislation that limits Second Amendment rights.

According to Reed’s office, the proposal increases the Department of Homeland Security’s efforts to counteract domestic and homegrown terrorist by expanding outreach in American communities and encouraging ordinary Americans to recognize and report suspicious activities. The bill also requires the department to reassess programs that aim to counter violent extremism in the U.S. and identify gaps in the programs and resources and report them to Congress. The third component of the legislation is to establish the Counterterrorism Advisory Board (CTAB) as the central Homeland Security counter-terrorism decision making body, allowing it to set the procedures for issuing terrorism alerts.

“Americans deserve to be safe on U.S. soil. We can’t let terror threats, either foreign or domestic, disrupt our way of life and this bill is the first step in taking proactive measures to defeat terrorism once and for all,” said Reed.