Councilmember Peter Vallone was at a pharmacy purchasing Sudafed when the thought hit him. If he needed identification to purchase an over-the-counter cold and allergy medication, why not make the same true for the purchase of etching acid?
Originally the councilmember representing Astoria wanted buyers to have a license to purchase the product decorating MTA trains and bus stations, but feedback from his lawyers and the mayor’s office believed his ideas were too much of a hassle. Members of the City Council passed the Etching Acid Legislation, created by Vallone, on May 6 and Mayor Bloomberg signed it into law this week. It will track the sale of the acid by requiring buyers to keep purchases on record for one year. In order to buy the product, sellers will require the purchaser’s name and address, the type of identification presented, the amount of acid dispensed and the date of purchase.
Vallone said that this request will make vandals think twice before using etching acid. “As vandals come up with new ways to destroy our property, we have to come up with news ways to protect it,” he said. Etching acid permanently destroys glass surfaces and, when insurance won’t cover damages, they become the expense of the victim.
Bruce Last, an Astoria business owner, can attest to this. In the past eight years, Last’s store, Fantasy Curtains and Linens on Steinway Street, has been vandalized several times. There is about 60 feet of frontage, with three large plate glasses, said Last, and vandals have used the etching acid to deface the property, causing permanent damage. “There’s no way to stop it,” he said. “There’s no way to clean up this type of graffiti. It’s too expensive to replace the glass every time.”
Last described his place of business as a decorative store for house ware. “We do nice windows,” he said. When asked if he was in support of Councilmember Vallone’s legislation, Last replied, “Absolutely — the only thing that keeps these people from coming back is seeing that their work is being removed.”
