Arms donated to F.S. gun shop headed to Ukraine

About 60 guns purchased or donated to an Franklin Square firearms shop in an effort to arm Ukrainians fighting the Russian invasion could be shipped within two weeks, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman announced on March 18 outside SP Firearms Unlimited.

Nassau County residents were asked to donate or purchase rifles, shotguns and AR15s, as well as derivatives of the AR15, at the Franklin Square gun shop during a four-day period earlier this month after Blakeman announced the initiative on March 3.

When the gun drive was announced, the county executive, who was uncertain how the weapons could be shipped to Ukraine, called on President Biden to lead the charge.

Since then, Florida-based gun manufacturer Kel-Tec has stepped in, offering to distribute the 60 guns donated in Nassau, as well as a shipment of 400 guns the company previously planned to send to Ukraine.

The federal departments of commerce, defense and state recently expedited approval of an export license for the Florida gun shop in four days, rather than the four months it usually takes, it was revealed at the press conference.

“This war will only stop with strength,” said Misha Migdal, a Nassau representative of the Ukrainian-American Chamber of Commerce, noting that Russian forces have begun bombing Lviv, a major city in western Ukraine.

A Russian missile strike about four miles from the city destroyed several buildings last week that were used to repair Ukrainian aircraft, bringing the war to a city that has served as a refuge for civilians fleeing the more intense fighting in the south and east of the country. The largest attack on a civilian area took place in Kyiv March 18, when what appeared to be a missile struck a residential building, killing one person.

The most recent estimation from the United Nations is that at least 816 civilians have been killed since the conflict began on Feb. 24.

Blakeman said that because the Florida gun manufacturer, which has done business before in Ukraine, has provided a path to the country, he is open to sending tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of weapons to Ukraine while it continues to fight the Russian invasion.

“Some people will say, ‘Weapons, really? Is that what they want?’ said Jerry Serduto, the owner of the Franklin Square gun shop. “If they’re not leaving, because they want to fight, what are they going to fight with?”

Blakeman said he hopes to send Ukraine ammunition along with the 400-plus firearms, but the plans for this remain stalled.

“We have to let these people know that they have the means to protect themselves,” Blakeman said at the Franklin Square gun shop on March 18.