Government

Nassau Dems propose law to require gun owners to lock up firearms

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Led by Legislator Ellen Birnbaum, Nassau County Democratic lawmakers proposed a Gun Storage Safety Law on Tuesday, they said, to keep guns out of the hands of children and “others who shouldn’t have access to them.”

 “I am proud to be the sponsor of a bill regarding the safe storage of firearms in Nassau County,” said Birnbaum, of Great Neck. “In response to the numerous shootings throughout the country, I would like to see Nassau County be proactive in protecting our residents.”

The measure would require gun owners to keep their firearms under lock and key. The owners could either attach locking mechanisms to their guns or store them in safes.

County Republican lawmakers, however, said they wonder whether Democrats are overstepping their authority. Sections of the bill, which was introduced on May 17, already exist in New York state penal law, according to Matt Fernando, press secretary for the Legislature’s GOP majority.

Fernando noted that Democrats proposed in the bill that gun owners report when their firearms are lost and stolen, but he said the requirement is already on the books at the state level.

“We have to research and vet” the Democrats’ proposal, he said.

“This bill aims to prevent injury or death such as when children shoot themselves, friends, or family in their own homes or their classmates in schools,” Birnbaum said. “Proper firearm storage, including the use of a safe storage depository or safety locking device, will deter the theft of guns to be used in crimes and will also reduce the rate of suicide by firearms.”

 Birnbaum was joined by Democratic lawmakers, members of local law enforcement, family members of gun violence victims and representatives of the gun-safety organization New Yorkers Against Gun Violence in front of the County Legislature building in Mineola.

Lois Schaffer, the mother of a gun-violence victim and longtime Great Neck resident, said something must be done. “Every year, gun violence claims the lives of over 33,000 Americans. Horrific visions are formed when the media reports on these tragedies,” she said. “Particularly devastating are unintentional deaths of children who find guns and shoot themselves or anyone else who might be close by.”