The initial two times I went to NYC without my parents back in 1979 and 1981 I got mugged. The first time there was a threat of a gun and the second time a gun was put to my head. This was not a great introduction to firearms. More recently my family was affected by gun violence. My brother, Sam, an Elementary School Teacher in Newtown Connecticut, suffered through the trauma brought on by the Sandy Hook massacre.
Now, let me be clear, I am a supporter of the 2nd Amendment. If you want to own a handgun for protection, or shoot for sport or hunting, your right to do so is protected in the Constitution. Still, more needs to be done as, “According to the Gun Violence Archive (GVA), a nonprofit website that scours more than 1,200 sources to track gun deaths and injuries in the United States, there have been more than 50,000 incidents of gun violence in 2015.”
To bring down those statistics there are four specific areas of anti-gun violence or gun control I will advocate for if elected to the NYS Senate this November 8th. They are:
Defend New York State’s SAFE act from repeal efforts
The New York State Senate Republican Majority sponsors and promotes several pieces of legislation that would dismantle or fully repeal the SAFE Act. If these bills were passed, the Senate Republicans would have repealed protections that keep guns away from violent criminals and the seriously mentally ill. They would have also dangerously stripped protections for victims of domestic violence who, far too often, become the victims of gun violence.
Pass Nicholas’s Law for safe gun storage
New York State has an opportunity to implement stricter regulations to ensure the safe storage of guns to prevent accidents and deaths, especially with children. The legislation would require guns to be safely locked by the owner when not in their immediate possession or control. Despite passing the Assembly, this measure to keep our children and the mentally ill safe has been blocked by the Senate Republican Majority.
Provide Law Enforcement with the tools needed to combat gun violence
The New York State Legislature must give Law Enforcement the ability to trace criminals through their guns and ammunition using a cost effective and proven technology called microstamping. According to New Yorkers Against Gun Violence, microstamping technology stamps a unique code onto shell casings every time a semi-automatic pistol is fired. This would allow Law Enforcement to more easily capture the thousands of perpetrators of gun violence who are able to remain a threat to our communities.
Support the Deny Firearms to Dangerous Terrorists Act
This legislation, currently introduced in the Legislature, would prohibit licenses for firearms to persons on the federal no-fly list or terrorist-screening database. It would also repeal any current licenses held by such persons. The Senate Republican majority did not allow the legislation to move out of the Codes Committee in 2016.
The safety and welfare of our community will be my first priority. These four aforementioned gun safety measures will go a long way in being proactive to make sure we don’t have an increase in tragic headlines about gun violence.
Keeping Long Island Safe From Gun Violence
By Adam Haber
