On Gun Violence Awareness Day, a field of orange hearts surrounded a statue in Eisenhower Park of a young girl hiding beneath a school desk, each one representing one of the 130 lives lost to gun violence every day.
Orange is the color of gun safety. Over 100 activists gathered wore the color on June 5, sharing information with gun violence survivors and speaking about their personal history with the topic.
East Meadow’s Janet Klein Goldstein is a fierce advocate for gun violence victims. She is a leading member of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America’s New York chapter. She invited local elected officials to the event to remind them of gun legislation’s life-or-death stakes.
“We want them to hear the voices of survivors,” she said. “We want to honor the victims of gun violence, and that's why we invite them here.”
Goldstein and her colleagues take their advocacy on the road, heading all the way to Albany to push for “common sense” legislation, she said.
“We were in Albany three or four times these past seven months, and we advocated for two bills that the governor signed into law just recently,” Goldstein said. “A third one she signed into law (days) ago, and she's signing the fourth into law as we speak. It's breaking news.”
These bills include prohibitions against manufacturing firearms that are easily modified into rapid-fire weapons, holding software companies accountable for 3D printed weapons, and Francesco’s Law, which requires firearm owners to lock up all weapons if a person under the age of 18 is in the home.
In America, about 130 people die to gun violence every day.
“I think it's sad that we still have to do this,” said Amanda Geist of Merrick. “The consequences of gun violence are very real and very evident. It really shouldn't be a debate anymore… it is absolutely heartbreaking for families and for survivors, and I admire the courage it takes to continue and to channel that into activism.”
Event organizer Stephanie Draine and George Graydon are the founders of Life After Loss A.N.D.R.E., a nonprofit that focuses on helping gun violence survivors through the recovery process. The couple lost their son, Andre, in 2014.
“We started this in 2020, trying to deal with the trauma of losing a child through gun violence,” Draine, a resident of Hempstead, said. “Not having that type of support back in 2014 motivated us to start an organization to support and advocate families who are impacted as we are and advocate speak out against gun violence.”
Draine and Graydon spent the past six years supporting families through mental, medical and legal challenges.
“We just didn't want nobody to go through what we went through, as far as the court system goes, and not knowing where to turn,” Graydon said.
Long Beach’s James Hodge spoke at the event. His nephew was killed and other relatives injured in acts of violence, and he is committed to preventing further harm.
“I continue to advocate on behalf of policies that will help eradicate gun violence,” he said. “There's plenty of preventative measures that we see go on in different places that work, and so I'll continue speaking up and speaking out.”
Freeport’s Richard Paul is the executive director of So Rich In Community, a local organization that partners with schools, offers support services and volunteer opportunities for at-risk youth. He also works with the Northwell Center for Gun Violence Prevention.
“Like many of us here, we are always looking forward to the day in which we can look for new jobs — the day in which our center can close down because these hearts won't be here anymore, and the violence in our communities will cease,” he said. “Sometimes it's rough, and we feel like we're not making an impact, but I want all of you to know that you are, and I'm honored to be here with you today.”
County Legislator Olena Nicks was one of the politicians in attendance. She spoke as both an elected official and a survivor of gun violence, which caused the death of her mother three years ago.
“It's most important that each and every year we continue to grow the people who are standing here, and we reduce the amount of hearts that we see in the grass,” she said. “It's not a partisan issue, it is an everyone issue, because we all can be affected.”
Congressman Tom Suozzi was one of the politicians in attendance.
“Thank you to all of you for keeping the fight going, because I know that there's a lot of people here that put in a lot of time and a lot of effort over many, many years,” he said. “I want you to know that I will support every single piece of legislation that ever comes up to end gun violence.”
