The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

Guns

Citizens Rally for Greater Gun Control & Against ‘American Carnage’

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A Key Message from those Gathered Today: “Vote Them Out”

Erin Fuller, survivor of the Las Vegas Massacre, addressing the crowd.

White Plains, February 18–“I am still trying to process the fact that we escaped the largest shooting massacre in U.S. history.” These were the first words I heard as I leaned in to listen, joining a crowd filled with several hundred activists, public officials and concerned citizens, many holding pointed signs and breaking out in chants such as “Vote Them Out” or “Shame on Them” condemning the NRA or politicians who have been bought by them or who have otherwise failed to act. 

The rally–organized in response to the Valentine’s Day massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida that left 17 students, a coach and teacher dead–called for a battle against stagnation and corruption in the fight for greater gun control on a regional, state and national level, too.

The words were from Erin Fuller, a 30-year-old survivor of the October 1, 2017 Las Vegas massacre, which killed 58 people, and injured nearly 500 more. Invited by the rally organizers, Fuller, in her first public address since the Vegas shooting, described a wave of nausea which caused her to leave the concert premises with her fiancé in search of a bathroom. Later leaving a hotel lobby, the two stepped outside again to listen to the music when they heard the pops…

Fuller continues to cope with a ‘flood of emotions.’ “Every night I close my eyes and hear the gun shots and think of the lost lives of those beautiful people.”

“We can no longer sit by and wait for politicians to create change,” she later added.  “18 shootings this school year… This is American Carnage and it is unacceptable.”

Her comments and those of other speakers in front of the steps of the white shingled Westchester Republican Committee Headquarters on Mamaroneck Avenue encouraged voting out those who have consistently voted against gun control and reform measures. The failure to ban the AR-15 assault rifle used in so many shootings including Las Vegas and Parkland was a focal point today too.

Cars honked and passerbys hollered in support of the group, a rally that had been quickly organized by Indivisible Westchester, Up2Us and the Million Mom March, Northern Westchester Chapter in response to the Parkland shooting.

Shelly Mayer, a Democrat running for a seat in the State Senate, described gun control bills and bills for research into gun violence that are being blocked from reaching the floor of the state Senate. Recently elected County Executive George Latimer’s success in banning the Gun Show at the Westchester County Center, she said, shows that “we can get out and organize and elect people who reflect our values. Saving lives should not be a partisan issue.”

State Assemblyman David Buchwald recalled, “This is not the first time we have gathered on this issue.” Buchwald had won against a Republican incumbent five years earlier, following Sandy Hook, running on a platform strongly against gun violence. Buchwald co-sponsored and passed the New York Safe Act, “which has helped put New York on the path to a safer state. Connecticut followed, but far too few places have taken the lead since,” he said.

From Yonkers Majority Leader Michael Sabatino: “In the last election, only 18% of voters showed up to vote….That’s not acceptable… people died for the right to vote.”

A spokesman on behalf of U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand implored everyone to make sure they come out to vote to help protect Americans.

Fuller had added that stricter laws were also needed to protect citizens “from persons clearly needing treatment and exhibiting wild and predictive behaviors,” and described herself as infuriated by the ease at which the perpetrator was able to pick up weapons.

“I am sick and tired of this country being reactive rather than pro-active,” she said. “Every citizen needs to step up to the plate… See something, say something before it’s too late.”

Regarding the AR-15 assault weapons employed by shooters, in a separate interview with the Inside Press, Fuller stated: “I don’t understand why any person would need access to a military style weapon. I can’t wrap my head around that.  It blows my mind. In Florida, you can’t rent a car till you’re 25 but you can buy an AR-15!”

She spoke of her admiration for “the kids standing arm in arm in front of the school” in Parkland.

“It doesn’t matter how old you are,” she said. “This issue transcends gender or age; it’s life or death with children being shot and killed just for going to school.”

Following the rally, Jessica Meller, co-president Million Mom March Northern Westchester Chapter, noted that the outrage of the crowd was palpable. “Of the many protests and marches I have attended, I’ve never seen this level of anger and determination.”

She said the youths from Parkland “who are demanding legislative action and organizing school walk-outs are inspiring adults and giving them more courage to be vocal and reason to be optimistic…

“Actually, it’s very simple: Kids do not want to be shot to death in school, or anywhere for that matter.  They are going to be a force in the upcoming elections, literally voting for their lives.”

Molly Greece of Indivisible Westchester reminded that it comes down to money for the NRA and money for gun manufacturers. “We need solid laws in place so we can sue them,” she said.

“We felt we had to do something this week,” said Iris Weintraub Lachaud of Up2Us. “This was our answer to ‘your thoughts and prayers.'”

Barry Graubart, a regional director for Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense, noted the upcoming March for Our Lives event on March 24; a student and teen led march in Washington D.C.  “We’ll be helping with regional events in conjunction with the kids from Parkland.  “It will be an amazing opportunity for teens and students to have their voices heard on this.”  Visit marchforourlives.com

Meanwhile, asked how she keeps going, Fuller answered that despite “the grief that still bubbles up, I have no choice but to be optimistic.  If I fall into pessimism…I’m not going to heal. The only path to healing is to believe that things can change.”

Clinton vs. Trump: The Race to the White House

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chappaqua-summer-writing-program-for-girls-photo-three

By Amber Mildenhall 

Hillary Clinton vs Donald Trump, it’s a race to the White House. Both are leading the course by becoming their parties’ representatives. In addition to the obvious difference, namely the political parties they support (Hillary Clinton being Democratic and Donald Trump Republican), the two candidates have opposite opinions on so many matters.

I moved to the United States at the age of eight. I didn’t even think about politics until I was in second grade, the same year Barack Obama became President.

My elementary school simulated the election of 2008; each student was given a chance to enter a booth where we could either circle a picture of Barack Obama or his republican opponent John McCain, and therefore “vote” for each candidate.

Unaware that an election was even going on, I chose Barack Obama (whom I didn’t even realize was Barack Obama) based on whatever preference I had as an eight-year old (although I still do support my decision now, eight years later). I went home that day and asked my parents what this alien booth-circling activity even meant. They gave me facts and pointers comparing Obama and McCain, which all seemed quite complicated to my eight-year-old self. So, without further ado, here are the facts of this year’s candidates for all those as confused as I was eight years ago.

Gun control has been a major debate between many politicians. The Second Amendment to the Constitution allowing the right to bear arms is viewed by many as no longer relevant. The United Kingdom has already instituted many laws to prohibit firearms. Hours of paperwork, applying for a license, and proving that you are not a threat to society has limited the violence that results from firearms. The United Kingdom’s firearm-related death rate per 100,000 per year in 2011 was 0.23, and the United States’ rate in 2014 was 10.54. Hillary Clinton wishes to abolish the Second Amendment and have gun control more similar to the UK’s.

Hillary Clinton said, “More than 33,000 Americans are killed by guns each year. It’s time to act. As President, I’ll take on the gun lobby and fight for commonsense reforms to keep guns away from terrorists, domestic abusers, and other violent criminals—including comprehensive background checks and closing loopholes that allow guns to fall into the wrong hands.” Donald Trump has an opposite opinion, and wishes to keep the right to bear arms. Donald Trump wrote, “Democrats want to confiscate all guns, which is a dumb idea because only the law-abiding citizens would turn in their guns and the bad guys would be the only ones left armed.” Donald Trump believes that it is every US Citizen’s right to bear arms, whereas Hillary Clinton views the existence of the second amendment as dangerous.

Donald Trump’s and Hillary Clinton’s postions on immigrants, like gun control, are also opposite. Donald Trump wants to build a wall on the Mexican border and have Mexico pay for it. Hillary Clinton stands for the less extreme measure of a fence along the Mexican border. “They’re bringing drugs, they’re bringing crime, they’re rapists,” Trump said of undocumented Mexican immigrants while announcing his candidacy last June. Donald Trump wishes to allow legal immigration, triple the number of ICE officers (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers), and end birthright citizenship.

Hillary Clinton supports a path to legalization for illegal immigrants whereas Donald Trump believes they should be deported effective immediately. Clinton also wishes to toughen penalties for hiring illegal immigrants, and supports Obama’s executive decision which would have allowed for illegal immigrants who are parents to legal citizens to remain in the USA for a certain amount of time.

Terrorist threats are a major factor in the immigration issue the USA is currently facing, but Clinton continues to believe that, “First, we rely on partners in Muslim countries to fight terrorists. The immigration ban would make it harder.”

Hillary Clinton’s and Donald Trump’s views on gun control and immigration are opposite. Healthcare is yet another subject in which Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton must agree to disagree. Donald Trump wishes to get rid of Obamacare, the unofficial name for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act which was signed into law by President Barack Obama in 2010, whereas as Clinton wishes to expand it. When one of these two candidates becomes President, completely different policies will be instituted.

Amber is a legal alien, a citizen of the United Kingdom, and a sophomore at Horace Greeley High School who is currently obsessed with Pokemon Go.

Editor’s Note: One of Seven Girls’ Essays featured in the November “If Our Neighbor Becomes President” Cover Story.  The girls were directed by Keri Walsh, Ph.D., who heads the Chappaqua Summer Writing Program for Girls at the Greeley House.

Questions do Save Lives – ASK Yours!

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Nicholas Naumkin, for whom the proposed Nicholas’ Bill is named.
Nicholas Naumkin, for whom the proposed Nicholas’ Bill is named, but years later, still not passed.

By Dawn Evans Greenberg

When local mom Anna* routinely dropped her toddler at a sitter’s home, it never occurred to her to ask about guns. The sitter came highly recommended, had been diligent about discussing food allergies and even kept her pets in a separate area of the home. Only when Anna read about an accidental shooting between two toddlers in North Carolina did it occur to her to approach the sitter and ask whether there were any firearms in the house. Expecting to be reassured that guns were not an issue, Anna was shocked when the sitter readily admitted that three guns were in the home but “put away where the children couldn’t get to them.” After a few sleepless nights, and well aware that, had she not asked, there’d be no changes to her or her toddler’s routine, Anna decided to find a new sitter for her child. As the saying goes, better safe than sorry.

Stories like Anna’s aren’t often widely shared first-hand. They’re the heard-from-a-friend-of-a-friend anecdotes that moms and dads tell one another when they meet for coffee, head to the park or stand on the sidelines at soccer games. When these cautionary tales ARE shared more directly, it’s too often because something unimaginable, something that should never have happened actually did.

That is why, over the last three years, as mass shootings have stunned and frightened the public, many gun safety groups have come together to address a related problem that is sometimes overlooked: the accidental shootings of children, often in their own homes.

According to the National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were at least 140 unintentional firearm deaths for people aged 0-19 in 2011. However, the actual numbers appear to be much higher. A New York Times report from September 2013 revealed that accidental shootings are seriously under-reported: “The undercount stems from the peculiarities by which medical examiners and coroners make their ‘manner of death’ rulings. Choosing among five options–homicide, accidental, suicide, natural or undetermined–most medical examiners and coroners simply call any death in which one person shoots another a homicide. These rulings can be wildly inconsistent…Even self-inflicted shootings that are clearly accidental…can wind up classified as homicides.”

NYAGVSaratoga Springs resident Oksana Naumkin knows all too well the nightmare of losing a child to accidental gunfire. On December 22nd of 2010, her 12-year-old son Nicholas was visiting a friend when the unimaginable occurred– said friend accidentally shot Nicholas in the head while playing with his father’s unlocked and loaded handgun. Following this preventable tragedy, Oksana started to advocate for a law that would require the safe storage of guns in the home; the proposed law, Nicholas’ Bill (S.7822/A.8293), is named for her son.

Twenty-eight states plus the District of Columbia have some form of safe storage law, but, as of press-time, New York State does not. We are fortunate in that Westchester County (along with New York City) does have safe storage laws. Still, we would all benefit from a state-wide passage of Nicholas’ Bill. The New York State Coalition for the Prevention of Child Access to Guns is comprised of over forty organizations around the state that have joined Oksana in advocating for Nicholas’ Bill.

There is something else concerned parents can do right now: ASK. The ASK campaign–Asking Saves Kids–offers a very simple solution to a tricky social situation.

Basically, and per its acronym, ASK suggests that all parents sending their children to another person’s home for a play date (or anywhere one may have concerns or questions) simply ask if guns are on premises and whether (if they are) they are securely stored. If the answer makes anyone uncomfortable, the play date should then be renegotiated so that all parties feel comfortably satisfied.

A Chappaqua dad who keeps several guns for sport explained that his weapons are stored in a gun safe anchored both to the floor and wall with ammunition stored separately. He added that he believes the majority of gun owners in our area keep their guns locked and stored carefully too. However, he thinks there are those who may not readily admit they have guns for fear other parents may not allow their children over for play dates. As he noted, “People feel that they have second amendment rights but they have a fear of expressing it, at least in our area, particularly after the tragedy at Newtown.”

askPutting political views aside for the sake of all our children should be something we, as a community, should be able to accomplish. Adopting ASK helps make that easier; with more parents ASKing, the “gun” question becomes less fraught and more part of everyone’s comfort zone when play date-planning. Let’s ask, not judge. Strategize not stigmatize. Anna asked. Now it’s our turn to ASK. And to contact state representatives in support of Nicholas’ Bill (S.7822/A.8293). With everyone’s help, our children will enjoy drawing pictures (not guns) happily ever after.

*Names and defining characteristics have been changed.

Dawn Greenberg is an eight-year Chappaqua resident and the Executive Director and founder of the Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival. She’s a member of Million Mom 
March/Northern Westchester chapter. She always asks about guns where her eight and 11-year-old boys play.