Though many citizens say they want change, the truth is it doesn’t happen until outrage overwhelms complacency.
We witnessed this in Nassau County with the sudden abolishment of speed cameras, resulting from the barrage of tickets that came with them.
Hopefully, residents are starting to feel similarly about preventing gun violence.
It’s been nearly three years since the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.
Enough time, one would think, to pass meaningful legislation to prevent other tragedies from occurring. Instead, in that time 89,000 more lives have perished from gun violence throughout our nation.
To put that into perspective that is more than the combined populations of Baxter Estates, East Hills, East Williston, Floral Park, Great Neck, Great Neck Estates, Great Neck Plaza, Kensington, Kings Point, Lake Success, Manorhaven, Mineola, Munsey Park, and New Hyde Park.
It is also roughly the same number of US soldiers who perished in the Vietnam and Korean Wars combined.
Putting it another way, it is over 30 times the number of lives lost in the World Trade Center during 9/11.
Gov. Cuomo has called for national legislation on gun control. State Assemblyman Chuck Lavine is pushing for gun control to be a major issue during the 2016 legislative session.
He has proposed a series of bills to help keep our community safe.
Unfortunately, state Senate Republicans have little appetite for enacting new gun control measures because of pressure from gun owners and manufacturers since the passage of the 2013 SAFE Act.
Suits have been filed to repeal the act, and Upstate gun manufacturers have moved or are considering moving their businesses to other states.
And, though the act provides for improved background checks, the technology to make these checks “seamless” has not yet been put into place. And even if all had gone smoothly, and everyone was on the same page with the SAFE Act, how would this help the family and neighborhood of Nassau’s most recent victim, 12-year-old Dejah Joyner of Hempstead, who died from a stray bullet that punctured the safety of her home, blasting through the living room window on her suburban street.
Clearly not enough is being done to stem gun violence.
The only way this changes is if constituents shift from complacency to outrage, to bombard their elected officials and demand reform, just like they did for speed cameras.
Feel free to reach out to Nassau County state senators Skelos, Hannon, Marcelino, Venditto and Martins and tell them how you feel.
Otherwise, we should all be prepared for an endless stream of tragic headlines about gun violence.
Adam Haber
Roslyn
