A man who attempted to kill a sitting congressman and New York gubernatorial candidate was released shortly after the murder attempt.

On July 21, U.S. representative Lee Zeldin was making a campaign speech at the New York VFW in his bid to win the election for governor of New York in November.  He was speaking to a crowd from a stage "when a man stumbled through the crowd.  He then proceeded to climb on the stage and pull what was initially believed to be a knife," according to RochesterFirst.com.

The weapon was eventually determined to be a black hardened plastic keychain with two sharp points designed for self-defense.

The man, later identified at David Jakubonis, swung his weapon toward Zeldin's neck, telling him, "You're done."  AMVETS national director Joe Chenelly tackled and restrained him before getting assistance from other bystanders.  They detained him until the Monroe County Sheriff's Office could take him into custody.

Zeldin was not hurt and took the stage again when it was over.

Jakubonis was arraigned on Thursday evening on a count of second-degree attempted assault but was then "quickly released on his own recognizance," according to the New York Post.

This confirmed a prediction Zeldin made after the attack.  "His words as he tried to stab me a few hours ago were 'you're done', but several attendees, including @EspositoforNY, quickly jumped into action & tackled the guy," Zeldin tweeted.  "Law enforcement was on the scene within minutes. The attacker will likely be instantly released under NY's laws."

So, in New York, someone can attack and attempt to murder someone, have it captured on film, and be walking free within hours.

This is why crime is on the rise in the state.  Criminals know there are no consequences for their actions.

While police are often blamed for the spike in crime, it is often liberal prosecutors who fail to take cases to court or laws passed by liberal legislatures that are causing the problem.  Interestingly, at the time of the attack, Zeldin was delivering a speech about bail reform, which many people believe is one of the contributors for the spike in crime in the state.

Hochul, to her credit, condemned the attack on her opponent.  She tweeted, "My team has informed me about the incident at Lee Zeldin's campaign event tonight.  Relieved to hear that Congressman Zeldin was not injured and that the suspect is in custody.  I condemn this violent behavior in the strongest terms possible — it has no place in New York."

While that is well and good, actions speak louder than words, and Hochul's actions have shown New Yorkers that she doesn't truly condemn violent behavior in the state.  Her actions show that she not only supports it; she invites it.

And, unfortunately, for residents of the state, their only alternative to live safely is to move out of the state because New York is so blue, they will likely vote Kathy Hochul back into office, where she will continue advocating policies that go light on criminals and endanger citizens.

Michael A. Letts is the CEO and Founder of In-VestUSA, a national grassroots non-profit organization helping hundreds of communities provide thousands of bulletproof vests for their police forces through educational, public relations, sponsorship, and fundraising programs. 

Image via Picryl.