Jerome Hauer, a top aide to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, appears to have regularly carried a firearm to work in violation of state law.
Hauer runs New York’s Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services. Cuomo, an advocate of ultra-strict gun control laws, appointed him to the job in 2011.
Hauer’s 9-millimeter Glock first came to the attention of local newspapers when he used the gun’s laser sighting attachment as a pointer during a meeting with a Swedish delegation. That event occurred last October at a State Police bunker, and was first reported by the Albany Times Union in January.
Officials at the meeting said “that three Swedish emergency managers in the delegation were rattled when the gun’s laser tracked across one of their heads before Hauer found the map of New York, at which he wanted to point,” according to the Times Union.
State law, however, explicitly bans state workers from bringing guns to the workplace, which Hauer apparently did frequently. Reporters began asking questions about Hauer’s habit of carrying his gun to work, only to be stonewalled by the Cuomo administration.
On Wednesday, the Times Union learned that Hauer had received a waiver allowing him to carry a handgun to work. The waiver was issued only four days after they ran the story about Hauer using the laser sight as a pointer.
“Despite the lack of a waiver before January, several witnesses said he has been carrying a gun on the job since Cuomo appointed him in 2011,” the Times Union reported.
A Cuomo spokesman did not return The Daily Caller’s request for comment.
UPDATE:
In an email to TheDC early Thursday evening, Jerome Hauer personally disputed the Times Union’s story, insisting that only an administrative rule prevents state employees from carrying guns to work, and that he has been granted a waiver. He also says he’s never owned a 9-millimeter Glock.
“The [Times Union] reporter involved has made libelous statements in his articles,” Hauer said.
