We’re lucky here in New York. We have some of the toughest gun laws in the country. Our crime rate is at a level we haven’t seen since the 1950s. But recent events show that tragedy can strike at any moment. We can’t be complacent and call gun violence some other state’s problem. Not when our kids’ lives literally hang in the balance. Not when the iron pipeline flows guns into our city from states whose laws are lax, like Florida and Virginia. And, arguably most importantly, not when there is currently a bill in Congress that seeks to codify concealed carry reciprocity.
That means, if you have a concealed carry permit from a place like Florida (which is so simple to get you don’t even need to be a resident of the state to apply for one) it is legal to carry a concealed weapon here. In New York City. In Bay Ridge. In our own backyards.
Law enforcement agencies from around the country agree—concealed carry reciprocity, a tent pole of the NRA’s national agenda, would put people in every state in danger.
As good as New York’s gun laws are, they can be strengthened—and must be. That is why we are calling on the New York State Senate to pass a series of bills aimed at safeguarding our children and families.
These bills are common sense solutions aimed at reducing gun violence while ensuring that those individuals who should not have access to a firearm, and do not gain access to a firearm. The first measure, S.5808, increases the number of days allotted for dealers to perform background checks from three to 10. The second measure, S.4363, would create a firearm research institute to study gun-related violence.
The third measure, S.7072, would ban anyone convicted of a hate crime from purchasing a firearm. The fourth measure, S.7133, would allow a judge to order the temporary surrender of an individual’s weapon if they are deemed an extreme risk. The fifth measure, S.692, would ban bump stocks that cause semi-automatic weapons to fire as if they were automatic weapons. Bump stocks were used in every mass shooting in recent years.
As an elected official and a private citizen, we are committed to working together to keep our corner of the world safe from the kind of horror experienced by the families in Sandy Hook, Isla Vista, Charleston, and Parkland. We urge you to get involved—lobby your lawmaker, donate to gun sense charities, or get out and march.
Ninety percent of the population favors tighter gun laws. Eighty percent of gun owners do as well. Government must hear and do the will of the people. Please join us in the fight.
Kristen Pettit is a Bay Ridge Mom and Gun Sense Activist. Justin Brannan is the City Councilman for the 43rd District covering Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bath Beach and Bensonhurst.
