Guns – R&R – Reachout and Rebuild

Guns and Kindergartners?

David Posnett — Sun, 11 Sep 2022 22:17:03 +0000

Look to New Zealand for a real leader: Jacinda Ardern

David Posnett — Sun, 17 Nov 2019 16:54:25 +0000

Eleanor Ainge Roy in Christchurch writes in the Guardian: ’Real leaders do exist‘:

That was March 19, 2019. Remember?

Jacinda Ardern uses solace and steel to guide a broken nation. The 38-year-old prime minister has been tested like no other New Zealand leader before by the worst terrorist attack in the nation’s modern history.

While her leadership was spot on and has been applauded worldwide, I wondered at the time, how successful she would ultimately be, putting thru new gun control legislation. New Zealand has its own lobby of gun enthusiasts, like the NRA.

I also wondered, why can’t the US produce political leaders of the same caliber. Here is a follow up on this story.

September 12, 2019 / 11:49 PM. New Zealand’s PM Ardern acts to tighten gun laws further, six months after the attack.

This is New Zealand’s second set of gun reforms after weak firearm laws were identified as a key reason why a suspected white supremacist was able to own semi-automatic weapons that he used to kill people gathered at two mosques for Friday prayers on March 15….

The government had near-unanimous support in parliament when it earlier passed a law banning military-style semi-automatics (MSSAs) in the first round of reforms within weeks of the attack, New Zealand’s worst peace-time mass shooting. …

The new bill, details of which have already been made public and that will have its first reading on Sept. 24, will include the creation of a registry to monitor and track every firearm legally held in New Zealand.

As by Nov 2019, we have encouraging reports on a gun buyback:

More Than 32,000 Prohibited Guns Turned in, as New Zealand Buyback Deadline Approaches. By Asher Stockler, on 11/2/19 at 2:52 PM EDT

Some have tried to analyse the paralysis on this issue in the US. For example:

US gun laws: Why it won’t follow New Zealand’s lead, by Anthony Zurcher North America reporter @awzurcher

Here is an example of where we stand in the USA: November 12, 2019

A leading gun industry group is confident they will win. It believes the U.S. Supreme Court should have reviewed and dismissed a lawsuit against the maker of the rifle used in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. The National Shooting Sports Foundation says it’s disappointed that justices Tuesday allowed the lawsuit against Remington Arms to move forward in a Connecticut court but is confident the company will prevail at trial.

SCOTUS has ruled twice to protect a very expansive and lax interpretation of the 2nd amendment, in particular, relative to the “well regulated” in

“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

So I am not too optimistic in regard to the lawsuit against Remington Arms.

What about our current crop of Dem. presidential hopefuls? According to Politico and update October 15, 2019:

In favor of a gun licensing program: Booker, Buttigieg, Williamson, Yang

In favor of a national firearm registry: Steyer

Also: Eric Swalwell, who has dropped out.

Most of the other candidates (16) are “still deciding” according to this October 15th 2019 report. See comments section regarding updated info!

Contrast this with Jacintha Ardern!

Background Checks for all Gun Sales

David Posnett — Sat, 12 Jan 2019 01:38:58 +0000

Washington has finally noticed that 97% of Americans favor passage of comprehensive background checks for all gun sales.

A bipartisan group of U.S. Representatives – 5 Democrats and 5 Republicans – just introduced a universal background check bill. H.R. 8 will close yawning loopholes and require a background check for every gun sale, including the growing number sold online, at gun shows and through other private sales.

A companion bill introduced in the Senate (S.42) has 41 Democrats signed on!

The time is now-Washington’s inaction on gun violence has come at a shocking price. Nearly 40,000 Americans were killed in 2017-the highest level in 50 years.

You can help by calling your U.S. Representative and your two U.S. Senators. Ask them to support these important bills. If you know your Congressional representatives, you can call the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121. If you need to look them up, go to http://knowwho.com.

You can also click here to find your affiliate state group and join in their work by signing on at their Website.

Together we will build safe communities, free from gun violence. Thanks for all you do!

Kathleen Monahan, Board Chair, States United to Prevent Gun Violence

Comment by Judith Hope:

It would be appropriate to focus a lot of effort on getting Zeldin to vote the right way on this, don’t you think? Including Press events.

How to reach Lee Zeldin:

Phone: 202-225-3826, Riverhead office (631) 209-4235, Patchogue office (631) 289-1097

Twitter: @RepLeeZeldin

Email: https://zeldin.house.gov/contact/email

‘I don’t want prayers. I don’t want thoughts. I want gun control.’

David Posnett — Fri, 09 Nov 2018 14:45:00 +0000

Submitted by Bob Brody:

Thousand Oaks parent:’I don’t want prayers. I don’t want thoughts. I want gun control.’

Dear Friends,

A 28-year-old veteran walked into the Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks, California and killed 12 and injured a dozen more with a Glock 21 45 caliber pistol equipped with high-capacity ammunition magazines. According to Gun Violence Archive, the Thousand Oaks shooting was the 307th mass shooting incident in 2018 and there have been over 1800 incidents since the Sandy Hook tragedy.

We have warned all Americans that if a mass shooting can happen in an elementary school in Sandy Hook then it can happen anywhere. Until the federal government puts public safety first by passing a set of comprehensive gun control laws, more and more Americans everywhere will be killed or injured.

When we joined the fight to end gun violece after the Sandy Hook tragedy, we were told words matter. We were told to use “gun violence prevention” instead of “gun control” and use “limit” instead of “ban” because we will get more buy-in. We were told to abandon the pursuit of a federal ban on assault weapons and embrace the federal background check bill as our legislative priority so that we can build on that success.

Sadly nearly six years later, not a single substantive federal “gun violence prevention” law has been passed. In fact, not a single “gun violence prevention” law has been passed in 24 years. Meanwhile the number of mass shootings and everyday gun deaths and injuries is rising. Too many mothers and fathers are losing their children to gun violence. We need to stop negotiating against our children’s lives and be unapologetic about asking for gun control laws.

The mother of Telemachus Orfanos who was killed at the bar said on local news, “I don’t want prayers. I don’t want thoughts. I want gun control.”

We agree! Enough with thoughts and prayers. Enough with letting the NRA dictate the narrative and our word choices. Enough with our elected leaders going after the low hanging fruit as their legislative priority. The bottom line is we need strong comprehensive gun control laws to regulate 300 million civilian-owned guns in America.

We urge you to contact your elected congressional representatives at 202-224-3121 to demand a vote on the following gun control measures to reduce gun homicides, gun suicides, unintentional shootings, and mass shootings in our towns and cities across the nation.

1. Background checks on all gun sales
2. Close the Charleston loophole or “delayed denial” where federally licensed dealers can sell guns if three business days pass without a verdict from the FBI
3. Restrict and penalize firearm possession by or transfer to a person subject to a domestic violence protection order or a person (including dating partners) convicted of a domestic violence misdemeanor
4. Prohibit firearm sale or transfer to and receipt or possession by an individual who has: (1) been convicted in any court of a misdemeanor hate crime, or (2) received from any court an enhanced hate crime misdemeanor sentence
5. Mandatory waiting period for gun purchases
6. Red flag/gun violence restraining order/extreme risk protection order to temporarily prohibit an individual deemed by a judge to pose a danger to self or others, from purchasing or possessing firearms or ammunition and allow law enforcement to remove any firearms or ammunition already in the individual’s possession
7. Handgun permitting, licensing, training, and registration
8. Ban bump-fire stocks and other dangerous accessories
9. Ban future manufacture and sale of assault weapons, regulate existing assault weapons under the National Firearms Act of 1934, and initiate a federal gun buyback program
10. Limits on high capacity magazines
11. Prohibit open carry
12. Make gun trafficking a federal crime
13. Repeal Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) to eliminate the corporate gun industry special protection from civil justice law that no other industry enjoys
14. Fund government research on gun violence
15. Child access prevention/safe storage requirement
16. Provide resources for people with mental illness
17. Microstamped code on each bullet that links it to a specific gun
18. “Smart guns” with Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) or biometric recognition (fingerprint) capability
19. Limit gun purchases to one gun per month to reduce trafficking and straw purchases
20. Require licensing for ammunition dealers
21. Enhance accountability of federally licensed firearms dealers
22. Digitize the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) gun records
23. Raise the minimum age for gun purchases to 21
24. Ban 3D and ghost guns
25. Prohibit guns in schools and college campuses
26. Report lost and stolen guns

Sincerely,
Po Murray
Chair, Newtown Action Alliance

Being Drilled for Armed Killer Opening Kindergarten Door

David Posnett — Mon, 05 Nov 2018 20:36:00 +0000

By Charline Spektor (with permission). She was the owner of Bookhampton stores and is now a Grandma.

My grandson began public school kindergarten a few weeks ago. He is so excited, and he comes home to tell “the best thing that happened today.” The other night at dinner he began: “Today in school we had a drill. It’s called lockdown. I thought it was lockup but it’s lockdown.”

None of us moved. And he continued. “We’re getting ready for a bad person who can come in and want to hurt us. The drill is you have to listen. That’s the drill. Listen. Don’t talk. Go into the closet. You have to go into the closet. If you don’t fit in the closet you have to go into your cubby. And you can’t say anything. And there can be a lot of noise. Close your eyes. Don’t say anything. Even if you have to pee. That’s okay. The drill is you don’t move, you don’t talk. Until someone comes to say you’re safe.”

My grandson just turned five. He is the most beautiful, wondrous gift on earth, as are all of our children, precious to us beyond words. As he told us about the lockup, lockdown drill, my daughter pressed her fingers into my hand: Don’t speak, don’t cry. And my daughter-in-law said, “Angel baby, you are such a good listener, I am so proud of the way you know how to listen. Did you go into the closet?” My grandson nodded. And then he said, “Ahma, did you ever have a drill like that? The kind where you had to be ready for someone bad to come in? Talk about it.”

Talk about it? Talk about what it means that we have created a gun-loaded society where sociopaths can be armed and murder children in school? Talk about what it means that children in kindergarten are being prepared for murder? Talk about the teachers who are teaching how to hide from bad people with guns, preparing children to be assaulted by people who have guns. Murderers with murderous intent who have guns.

I want to ask every single person I know: is this what you want for our children? Do you want our children having lockdown drills? Why didn’t we have lockdown drills? Because gun money was not controlling our country and our politics. Our childhood was not awash in the nightmare of gun-holding murderers. And yes, it is political. And yes, we have been sold and played, and our children’s lives have been put at risk.

We cannot afford to be silent for one more minute. I sat silent as my grandson told me the truth: This is what we have allowed our country to become, a freak show of random violence.

Talk about it? I wanted to say please forgive me. Forgive us.

The cash-and-carry politics of this country corrupted our moral intelligence. Our communities of silence have failed our children. We are facing a midterm election, and one of the remaining opportunities to speak up. Lee Zeldin co-sponsored a bill that permits concealed weapons to be carried in New York. When Zeldin sold out to the gun lobbies, he kicked open the door to the assault of our children.

Who the hell is responsible for my small grandchild being drilled for the day that an armed killer opens his kindergarten door? It’s political. I am voting against Lee Zeldin. I am voting for Perry Gershon.

Courage. Vote for our children. VOTE GERSHON. Please share.

Thank you,

Charline

Trickle Down Hate Crimes

David Posnett — Sun, 28 Oct 2018 17:19:22 +0000

Devastatingly awful. The rise of hate crimes & Trump’s vitriol are not independent or coincidental. It’s not the media, it starts in the oval office and trickles down.

Trump

(and his minions)

↓

VITRIOL
HATE

direct INSTRUCTIONS for violence

↓

And the NRA / Trump / Zeldin, they are promoting more guns. Guns for the nutcases, guns in schools and guns in the churches and synagogues.

Barbara —

The news coming out of Pittsburgh this morning is unspeakably tragic. A Synagogue — a place of worship, peace, and safety — invaded. 8 dead. Dozens wounded. All at the hands of a hate-fueled anti-Semite with a powerful military-style weapon.

The President is talking about how we need more weapons of war in our streets and places of worship. The NRA is silent. GOP politicians are “deeply troubled” yet again. But they don’t act. They won’t act. Even though it’s right-wing bigots committing the mass-violence, they’re fully bought-and-paid-for by the NRA and the giant corporations it represents. That’s the truth.

As veterans, we stand in solidarity with all who face these acts of violence — violence that Donald Trump has encouraged and fueled through his extremist rhetoric since day 1. And we’re devoting every resource available to make sure Congress does the right thing this time and puts an end to this terrorism in our communities.

I need you to make a pledge: can you promise to either vote for, donate to, or volunteer with a candidate who OPPOSES the NRA’s agenda of using bigotry and division to fuel corporate profits?

Oppose the NRA »

For years, the NRA has fed violent, paranoid rhetoric to their massive audience. And since his campaign begun, Donald Trump has done the same. They share apocalyptic, terrorizing propaganda videos, openly threatening peaceful protesters with menacing violence. They spew hateful rhetoric about Muslims and people of color in our neighborhoods. And Congress is fine with this as long as the campaign contributions keep flowing.

We have to break that cycle, and call out the NRA for what they really are: propagandists who will use racism and bigotry to stir up fear and hate, and watch mass-shootings from the sidelines as long as it means they can sell more guns and maintain control over Congress.

Join us today in pledging to support as many candidates as possible who will fight for peaceful and secure communities.

Our hearts ache for the people of Pittsburgh, the Jewish community, and for all who’ve been subjected to such terrorism. I know we can’t undo what happened today, but we can fight tooth and nail and hopefully reduce the chances of it ever happening again.

In solidarity,

Alexander McCoy
U.S. Marine Corps veteran
Common Defense

Stop the madness and

VOTE PERRY GERSHON

on Nov 6th

The Truth About Lee Zeldin’s Record

David Posnett — Fri, 26 Oct 2018 14:37:35 +0000

October 1, 2018 by Jacquelyn Gavron and Amy Turner

You deserve the facts about your representative, but you won’t get them from Lee Zeldin. Here’s the truth about his record.

OPPOSES GUN SAFETY

After Parkland, Zeldin said, “This tragedy could have and should’ve been prevented.” But he voted against bills to prevent them—background checks and assault rifle ban.
Zeldin’s received $61,181 from the NRA, more than any NY rep. No wonder he co-sponsored its pet “concealed carry” act overriding our laws and letting out-of-state guns flow into NY.
Zeldin voted against a bill banning firearms in airports and prohibiting terrorists on the FBI’s no-fly list to buy guns in the U.S.

ANTI-LGBTQ

Zeldin voted against preventing discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity
Said he believes marriage is between a man and a woman and voted against the Marriage Equality Act of New York
Supported Trump’s rescinding Obama’s rule on transgender bathroom use and all but said he supported Trump’s ban on transgender people in the military.

DISHONORS VETERANS

Zeldin’s vote to repeal the ACA would leave 340,000 veterans covered by the Medicaid expansion without any health care coverage.
Did little to address equipment and infrastructure issues at Northport VA Medical Center, which serves approximately 30,000 of the 130,000 veterans on L.I.
Zeldin received $20,000 from Koch Industries, which has been funding VA privatization PACS including Concerned Veterans for America.

ETHICAL LAPSES

Zeldin was sworn in to the House on Jan. 6, 2015. That same day, he voted to limit the power of the House and Senate ethics committees to investigate members.
Zeldin repeatedly voted against investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election–
Although use of private jets for routine travel violates federal rules, Zeldin voted against protecting whistleblowers who disclose on improper use of aircrafts by government officials.

ANTI-IMMIGRATION

Supported Trump’s repeal of the DACA, or Dream Act, which protected from deportation those brought to the U.S. as children
Defended Trump’s comment about immigrants from “shithole countries” and voted to require state/local governments to comply with ICE requests to detain undocumented immigrants
Voted to block federal funding for states and localities with “sanctuary” laws on immigration.

10 REASONS WOMEN MUST #FlipThe1st!

David Posnett — Fri, 26 Oct 2018 14:25:08 +0000

Issue #2: August, 2018 by Jacquelyn Gavron and Amy Turner

Lee Zeldin repeatedly votes for laws that jeopardize the health and financial wellbeing of 55% of his constituents: the 310,000 females in New York’s 1st Congressional District. Women in NY01 deserve a representative who understands that when women succeed, families and communities do too. Here’s Zeldin’s voting record, which speaks for itself.

#1 “FEMALE” IS NOT A PRE-EXISTING CONDITION

Zeldin and the GOP-controlled house voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and replace it with the American Health Care Act (AHCA). Had it passed, 61,951 people in NY01 would have lost their health care (ACASignups.net). And insurance companies would be allowed to charge women more than men and refuse to cover:

Essential services—pregnancy, maternity and newborn care
Pre-existing conditions —pregnancy, C-sections, celiac disease, hysterectomies, eating disorders, and treatment for domestic violence and sexual assault
Preventive services—mammograms, screenings for cervical cancer, osteoporosis, anemia, gestational diabetes and preeclampsia; and breastfeeding support and supplies.

Did you know. . . Zeldin has received a whopping $267,975 in contributions from insurance companies since 2014. (OpenSecrets.org).

#2 WOMEN DESERVE EQUAL PAY

In Suffolk County, women earn $51,014 for a job that pays men $65,326—$14,312 less. (labor.ny.gov). Don’t expect Zeldin to help. He’s repeatedly undermined equal pay protection by:

Voting to block Congress from considering the Paycheck Fairness Act, a bill to end the pay gap and protect workers from retaliation for sharing info on their wages. (H.R. 1619, 2015)
Voting to make it extremely difficult for women seeking equal pay to bring a class action lawsuit against their employers. (HR 1927, 2016).

#3 LET WOMEN CONTROL THEIR OWN BODIES

Zeldin voted for a bill to ban abortion at 20 weeks (directly challenging Roe v. Wade), which was opposed by the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists as a serious threat to women’s health and not based on sound science. Zeldin has supported:

Amending the constitution to ban abortion except to save life of mother
A nationwide ban on private insurance coverage of abortion
Federal legislation allowing parents to prevent their daughters from receiving abortions
Requiring rape victims to wait 48 hours before obtaining an abortion
Barring the government from distributing emergency contraceptives

#4 GUN VIOLENCE IS A WOMAN’S ISSUE

Zeldin co-sponsored the federally mandated concealed carry bill, which would override New York’s strict gun laws and let gun owners with a history of violence against women roam our neighborhoods with a hidden, loaded gun. Most people don’t know the hidden toll guns take on women:

50 women a month are shot to death by a current or former partner
4.5 million American women have been threatened with guns, often by intimate partners, so they live in fear for themselves and their children for days, months and even years.
U.S. women are 16x more likely to be killed with a gun than in other high-income countries.

#5 WE NEED PAID FAMILY LEAVE

Most workers are covered by the Family Medical Leave Act, which lets you take up to 12 weeks of leave a year to care for family members. But for most people, that leave is unpaid. The GOP solution? Take a “loan” from Social Security and delay receipt of your retirement income.

#6 SOCIAL SECURITY: ON THE CUTTING BLOCK

The GOP tax scam gives huge tax cuts to the wealthy and large corporations that add $2 trillion to the national debt. They’re using this as an excuse to slash Social Security—it’s especially important to women as they earn less, take more time out of the workforce, live longer, save less and get smaller pensions.

In NY01, 150,262 people receive Social Security. Zeldin said he’d “continue to support legislation that protects and supports Social Security and Medicare” (letter, 6/2017) but he:

Voted YES to a constitutional amendment that would allow Social Security to pay beneficiaries only if a federal budget surplus could offset them. (HJ Res.2, 4/12/18)
Voted to block the transfer of tax revenue to keep the Disability Insurance afloat—unless it was part of a larger plan to cut benefits or tax increases. (HRes 5, 1/6/15; Politico).

#7 GOP GUNNING FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID

In New York, nearly 2 million women rely on Medicare for their health insurance. Zeldin voted for a budget resolution (H.Con.Res 71, 10-15-17) that would pay for Trump’s huge tax cuts by:

Slashing Medicare by $487 billion
Increasing the age at which you can apply for Medicare from 65 to 67 nscpssm.org

More women than men are covered by Medicaid as they often work in lower paying jobs, and many work for small businesses that don’t offer health insurance. But Zeldin voted to take way the Medicaid option. And Trump recently gave the go-ahead for states to take away Medicaid from people who aren’t working a minimum number of hours a month. This disproportionally hurts women because they:

Often work in low-wage jobs with inconsistent hours that may not meet the requirements.
Typically care for children or other family members and aren’t in the paid workforce

#8 UN-AFFORDABLE CHILD CARE

Trump’s tax scam doubled the maximum child tax credit from $1,000 to $2,000—“but the parents of about 29 million kids won’t get the credit because their families earn too little.” (TPC.org).

#9 PLANNED PARENTHOOD

Zeldin has repeatedly voted to defund Planned Parenthood. Perhaps he doesn’t understand that Planned Parenthood provides a wide range of health care services to 2.4 million clients, including, prenatal care, breast exams, PAP smears, vasectomies, HIV and STD testing and treatment, and sex education.

#10 WOMEN DESERVE A REP WHO VALUES WOMEN

In January 2017, thousands of Zeldin’s constituents showed up at women’s marches in D.C., NYC, Port Jeff, Sag Harbor and other places to advocate for women’s rights. But rather than acknowledge their concerns, Zeldin questioned their sanity, suggesting that some of his constituents might hold views that are “off the reservation” and using his 37th birthday two weeks later as an occasion to express his “love” for “even those Hillary supporters who have lost [their] beautiful minds since the election.”

Lee Zeldin’s ‘Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act’ Puts Your Kids at Risk

David Posnett — Sun, 07 Oct 2018 23:46:21 +0000

Currently, New York sets its own rules for who can carry a hidden, loaded handgun in public – as it should be. Lee Zeldin’s project, the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, would take our rights away so that states with weaker gun safety laws would override our current regulations. This is the NRA’s top legislative priority and Lee Zeldin co-sponsors the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act. We need commonsense gun violence prevention laws, and not laws that make our communities less safe.

Gershon vs. Zeldin on Gun Legislation

David Posnett — Fri, 05 Oct 2018 12:05:19 +0000

Printed as a Letter to the Editor in The Independent, Oct. 3, 2018

More Guns?

Thank you for printing “Zeldin and Gershon Square Off,” so that voters know where each candidate stands on various topics. One important issue that was not covered in the article, however, is gun safety. Lee Zeldin co-sponsored and voted for the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, which would allow any person with a concealed carry permit from another state (with weaker gun laws that don’t require a background check or safety training, for example) to carry their weapon in New York.

Law enforcement is overwhelmingly opposed to this bill, since more guns on the streets means more lives at risk. In fact, an association representing 18,000 police departments across the country sent a letter to Congress asking them to reject this legislation, noting it would “hamper law enforcement efforts to prevent gun violence.”

Perry Gershon supports common sense gun measures, and that includes upholding New York’s strong gun laws, rather than undermining them.

Sincerely,

Carol Deistler