The need for gun violence awareness
On Jan. 21, 2013, Hadiya Pendleton marched in President Barack Obama’s second inaugural parade. One week later, Hadiya was shot and killed on a playground in Chicago.
Hadiya’s friends commemorated her life by wearing orange, the color hunters wear in the woods to protect themselves and others. “Wear Orange” is now observed every June, which is recognized as Gun Violence Awareness Month. If only Hadiya’s story was some sort of freak occurrence. The reality is that more than 43,000 Americans are killed by guns every year, and roughly 76,000 more are shot and wounded.
Mass shootings like the Route 91 Harvest music festival in Las Vegas (60 killed, more than 850 injured); the Pulse Night Club in Orlando (49 killed, 53 injured); Virginia Tech (32 killed, 17 injured); Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut (26 killed); and Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida (17 killed) grab the headlines, but it’s the countless stories similar to Hadiya Pendleton’s that are far more commonplace, and, I believe, preventable.
That’s why I have made it one of my top priorities to do all I can to prevent needless deaths resulting from gun violence. In October 2021, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed the Scott J. Beigel Unfinished Receiver Act, banning the sale and possession of so-called “ghost guns.” The bill, which I sponsored in the Assembly, honors Beigel, who lost his life trying to save his students on that tragic Valentine’s Day in Parkland.
The legislation was championed by his mother, Linda Beigel Schulman, who has dedicated her life to fighting gun violence in Scott’s memory. It significantly increases protection to communities by creating much more accountability. It is intended, just as Scott intended, to save lives.
With many other examples of strong but sensible gun legislation signed into law since then, the Democratic majority in the Assembly, working with our colleagues in the Senate and the governor, have consistently shown a commitment to ensuring that New York state has some of the toughest gun laws in the country. This against fierce opposition from NRA apologists on the right who think that any legislation on guns is bad legislation, and that everyone has the right to keep an assault rifle handy. Despite our progress, this large and powerful contingency, with support from a Trump-stacked Supreme Court, continues to get its way in many states with Republican majorities. It’s led by none other than our living cartoon of a former president, now a convicted felon who, at least in theory, should be barred from owning a gun himself.
Unfortunately, it’s unclear when or if Trump will be required to surrender any guns after being found guilty in his hush money trial. The Class E felony carries a maximum sentence of four years in prison. According to federal law, anyone convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year in prison is barred from possessing firearms, so Trump should be prevented from owning guns even if he is ultimately sentenced to probation.
As reported in The Trace, Judge Juan Merchan did not ask the former president to surrender any firearms after the verdict — this despite state law requiring the court to do so. While it has been widely reported that efforts are being made to revoke Trump’s suspended carry license in New York City, it isn’t clear whether any law enforcement entities in New York — or Florida, where he lives — plan to enforce the felon gun ban.
The situation underscores the lack of federal procedure for how recently convicted felons should surrender their guns. As stated in The Trace, “New York is one of at least seven states that have created a statutory process for firearm relinquishment, but only California, Connecticut, and Nevada expressly require prohibited people to provide proof of relinquishment to courts or law enforcement.”
Surely Trump, who has made no secret of his gun ownership, is going to take full advantage of this situation. But so should those who oppose the idea that gun proliferation is a good thing and are willing to stand up for that belief. We must highlight the hypocrisy in a supposed advocate for the idea of law and order flouting — or in this case breaking — the law every chance he gets.
There really shouldn’t need to be a specified month to remind us we need to do all we can to end the scourge of gun violence in America. However, the astonishing number of incidents, the proliferation and accessibility of guns, and the number of those willing to turn a blind eye to this crisis, make it a necessity.
Charles Lavine represents the 13th Assembly District.
