State sen. Jack Martins and a coalition of Great Neck mayors have signed statements calling for a national effort against gun violence in the wake of the mass shooting in a Newtown, Conn., elementary school that left 26 people dead, including 20 first graders.
Calling for a national self-examination of violence in American culture and a balance between gun regulation and the rights of law-abiding gun owners, Martins described Newtown as a “tragedy of each and every community in every corner of our country” in a press release.
Martins questioned the presence of violence in media and video games, noting that parents across the country are lining up to buy their children copies of violent video games such as “Call of Duty” while simultaneously mourning the deaths of children in Connecticut.
“I am not blaming the entertainment industry for the violence we see around us. I believe in personal responsibility and accountability, but have we ourselves become desensitized to the violence?” wrote Martins in the press release. “Surely I can’t be alone in wondering.”
Martins, a Republican in a state Senate that has resisted tightening gun laws in past, also called into question the consequences of America’s comparatively loose gun laws, expressing support for the Second Amendment but noting that weapons procured in states with lax regulations can find their way into New York.
“Our own laws are circumvented regularly by those who merely travel to states with less stringent gun laws and bring them back illegally,” Martins wrote.
And while national Republicans have largely stayed silent on proposed legislative responses to the shooting, Martins noted the lower rates of firearm murders in Asia and Europe and endorsed the creation of a nationally standardized licensing system.
“The bottom line is that gun ownership is a tremendous responsibility, yet our country has yet to treat it as such,” wrote Martins. “The hodgepodge of laws that have barely been cobbled together reflects that. And, despite some of the strongest gun laws in the country, the proliferation of illegal guns in our state is sad testament to that same fact.”
Martins was joined in calling for tighter gun regulations by five Great Neck mayors and the mayor of North Hills, who endorsed a letter to President Barack Obama written by Boston Mayor Tom Menino and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg as part of Mayors Against Illegal Guns’ efforts to spur changes to national gun policy.
Mayors Ralph Kreitzman of the Village of Great Neck, Matthew Bloomfield of Russell Gardens, Jean Celender of Great Neck Plaza, Ronald Cooper of Lake Success, Susan Lopatkin of Kensington and Marvin Natiss of North Hills signed the letter, which put forward a list of potential changes to gun regulation. In doing so, they joined scores of mayors across the country.
“As mayors, we are charged with keeping our communities safe. But too many of us have sat with mothers and fathers of children killed with guns,” said the letter. “Together, we urge you to put forward an agenda that is rooted in common sense and that will make it harder for dangerous people to possess guns, and easier for police and prosecutors to crack down on them.”
Natiss, who joined the Mayors Against Illegal Guns lobby five years ago, said, “I am anxious to see illegal guns to be taken off the streets and out of the hand of people who use them.”
The mayors endorsed Rep. Carolyn McCarthy’s (D-Mineola) Fix Gun Checks Act, which would require background checks for gun sales from private sellers. The letter also advocates for prohibitions on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, action to strengthen enforcement against illegal gun traffickers and purchasers, the appointment of a director to the currently vacant top position at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and better reporting of background check information by states to the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System.
Reach reporter Dan Glaun by e-mail at dglaun@theislandnow.com or by phone at 516.307.1045 x203. Also follow us on Twitter @theislandnow1 and Facebook at facebook.com/theislandnow.
