Adams Hosts Smart Gun Symposium
Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams tomorrow will host the New York City Smart Gun Symposium, the largest-to-date gathering on advancing smart gun technology.
Smart guns are firearms that includes a safety feature or features that allow it to fire only when activated by an authorized user.
Co-sponsored by Washington Ceasefire, a leading gun safety advocacy group based in Seattle, and New Yorkers Against Gun Violence, the conference will include a cross section of leaders in the field, including former Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) officer David Chipman; former executive director of Everytown for Gun Safety Mark Glaze; former vice president of the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence Dennis Henigan; prominent smart gun developer Ernst Mauch of Germany; Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Professor Stephen P. Teret, and New Jersey Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg.
“We haven’t allowed guns to evolve into safer tools for personal protection and recreation, and that cannot continue to happen,” said Adams, a former NYPD police officer. “Smart guns can and should be a reality on the marketplace, and I am committed to amplifying the broad cross-section of voices from New York City and across America that reflects how we can support gun rights and advance gun safety at the same time.”
In recent months, the smart gun debate has gained immense prominence following President Barack Obama’s strong endorsement of the pursuit this year, highlighted during a nationally-televised town hall in Fairfax, Virginia. Adams has focused on the advancement of smart guns for several years, publishing his “Gun Safety in New York: Deploying Common-Sense Technology” report in 2015 — accessible at brooklyn-usa.org.
The symposium is slated for between 11 a.m.-2 p.m. tomorrow, August 2 at Brooklyn Borough Hall, 209 Joralemon Street. RSVP is required for the New York City Smart Gun Symposium. Those interested can email tcantlo-cockfield@brooklynbp.nyc.gov.
Schumer Wants Changes In Food Recall Policy
U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer yesterday called for major changes as it relates to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) food recall process.
Schumer wants to ensure the agency is doing absolutely everything it can to prevent future contamination-related food illnesses. Schumer’s push comes following a recently released preliminary report conducted by the Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) which suggests that the FDA has taken far too long to initiate food recalls, therefore allowing potentially contaminated foods to remain on store shelves and putting the public’s safety at risk.
“Delays in getting bad food off store shelves is just a recipe for disaster,” said Schumer. “That’s why the FDA must come to the table with a healthy, new plan, detailing how they will revamp and execute a reformed food recall process. One that gets potentially contaminated food off the shelves before Americans risk getting sick, not after. We expect our everyday food purchases from the local supermarket to be safe to eat, but following a recent Inspector General’s report, it appears many Americans are getting a sour deal and sour stomachs.”
Schumer said the food recall process too slow and unduly exposes countless Americans to food that can make them sick – or even kill them. In some cases, the FDA waits months before issuing recalls on potentially contaminated food products, he said.
According to the FDA, since May 31, there have been at least 57 recalled products issued due to listeria, salmonella and other bacteria. Recalled products include: cheese, frozen vegetables, cereal, biscuit mix, cake mix, sunflower seeds, raw macadamias, granola bars, rice, ice cream, and more. According to the CDC, approximately one in six Americans or 48 million people get food poisoning each year.
City Breaks Ground On New Firehouse
The City last week broke ground on a new 21,000-square-foot firehouse for Brooklyn’s Rescue Company 2 in Crown Heights.
The $32 million project at 1815 Sterling Place will provide space for multiple FDNY vehicles, as well as ample space for tools, special rescue gear such as SCUBA equipment. An interior space from ground to roof level will be a training area for the Company’s firefighters.
“We are proud to break ground on a state-of-the-art new home for Brooklyn’s Rescue Company 2. This firehouse will be a leader in energy efficiency, moving our city closer to an environmentally sustainable and resilient future. With ample space for tools and a training facility on the roof, this firehouse will be the impressive space that New York’s bravest deserve,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio.
Rescue Company 2, one of FDNY’s five rescue companies, is a specially-trained unit that responds to a variety of unique emergencies including fires, building collapses, high-angle rescues, hazardous materials incidents and water rescues. Their new facility will be organized around a large interior space that extends from the ground to roof level. This space will enable the company to practice rescue scenarios that mimic conditions common to the City, using its height and associated elements of balconies, bridge, doorways, ladders, and stairs.
Cymbrowitz Give $3 Million To Maimonides For Cancer Fighting Equipment
Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz (Sheepshead Bay, Manhattan Beach, Brighton Beach) recently presented a $3 million check to Maimonides Medical Center to offset the cost of a new linear accelerator, which targets radiation treatment for many forms of cancer and saves countless lives.
“Just over a decade ago we stood in the Lena Cymbrowitz Pavilion of the Maimonides Cancer Center and witnessed the official opening of the first and only full-service cancer center in all of Brooklyn, a facility made possible thanks to Assembly support,” Cymbrowitz said.
“Today, in acknowledgement of the countless lives saved by the Cancer Center and the thousands of patients who have benefited from its care, we are presenting Maimonides with a check for $3 million in capital funding toward the cost of replacing one of its 10-year-old linear accelerators,” he added.
Donovan Collects Korean War Veteran Testimonial
Congressman Dan Donovan (Southern Brooklyn, Staten Island) today will record an interview with Korean War Veteran George Parsons for the Library of Congress “Veterans History Project.”
Part of a nationwide effort, the Veterans History Project collects, preserves, and makes accessible the personal accounts of American wartime veterans so future generations can better understand the realities of American wars. Recorded interviews and documents collected through the project will be preserved in the Library of Congress.
Parsons is a decorated combat veteran who served in the 24th Infantry Division 5th Regimental Combat Team during the Korean War. His unit fought in four major battles. He was honorably discharged in 1952 and began a 33-year career with the New York City Department of Sanitation. In 1958, he earned the Medal of Valor for heroism after saving three children and one adult from a house fire in Brooklyn.
The recording is slated for 10:30 a.m., today at Donovan’s Staten Island District Office, 265 New Dorp Lane, 2nd Floor.
