Gia Arnold, candidate for the 62nd District Senate seat, speaks to supporters and media in front of City Hall. Arnold spoke against the NY Safe Act and her opponent, George Maziarz. (PHOTOS BY HEATHER N. GRIMMER / CONTRIBUTOR)

Gia Arnold, the Holley woman looking to unseat state Sen. George Maziarz, stopped in Lockport this afternoon to campaign against Maziarz — and the NY SAFE Act.

A small crowd watches as Gia Arnold delivers her remarks Tuesday afternoon.

Arnold told a small crowd of supporters and media that Maziarz should have worked harder to defeat the law, noting his position as third-most powerful member of the Senate, adding "If that was true, why did he not keep it from being voted on at all?"

"How many of you here would vote for someone who told you to give up," she asked. "George Maziarz has been telling his constituents to count on the court systems to get rid of the NY SAFE Act. In my eyes, that is the white surrender flag."

Arnold told she picked Lockport as the spot for her press conference because of the October arrest of Paul A. Wojdan, charged with a SAFE Act Violation.

"He was charged for having too many rounds in his magazine and went through the court system before ultimately charges were dropped," Arnold said.

In fact, City Court Judge William Watson ruled that when police counted the bullets in Wojdan's gun magazine, they violated his Fourth Amendment rights against unreasonable search and seizure.

For his part, Maziarz says he has been a vocal opponent of the SAFE Act. He campaigned against it. He voted against it. And he called for its repeal on Jan. 15, the anniversary of its passage.

After the press conference in Lockport, Arnold attended an anti-SAFE Act rally in Buffalo, where opponents of the measure vowed non-compliance on the deadline day for registering assault-style weapons.

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