Saturday, January 7, 2017

Five Steps to Help Ban Gun Shows at Westchester County Center





What's going on?   Since October 2015, more than 4,500 people have signed a petition to ban gun shows at the Westchester County Center.

Despite this outpouring of public concern, County Executive Astorino has unfortunately decided to allow a new "Gun and Knife Show" to take place at the Westchester County Center on January 21-22, 2017.

In response, the Westchester County Board of Legislators will soon vote on a bill to ban all future gun shows on county-owned property.   County Legislator Ken Jenkins (D-Yonkers) introduced this bill is 2010, and it's been considered in every session since that time.  We expect the bill will be voted on in early January.   
 
Now it's critical that we kick this campaign up a notch!

1.  Please Sign the MoveOn Petition to Ban Gun Shows at the Westchester County Center, if you have not already done this.   

2.  E-Mail or Call Your Westchester County Legislator.   Making personal contact with their office is critically important to encourage them to vote the right way.  (See below for contact information)

3.  Please attend the vote in person next Monday night, January 9!!   The vote on the Gun Show ban will take place next Monday at 7:00 PM at the County Office Building, 148 Martine Avenue, 8th Floor, Legislative Chamber, in White Plains.   We need to fill the hall to ensure every legislator does the right thing, by voting for the ban.   If you can come early, please join us for a Candlelight Vigil at 6:30 PM on the steps of the County Office Building.

4.  Encourage Your Community, School or Religious Organization to Endorse the Gun Show Ban.   Click here to fill our endorsement form, or e-mail your organization's endorsement and contact information to Chuck Bell at ReduceGunViolence [at] gmail.com    We'll present the endorsements to the Westchester County Board of Legislators before the vote.

 5.  Share Your Personal Story About Gun Violence, by clicking here.  Your personal experiences and stories help build the case for why the gun show ban is needed.  We may call on you to help share your experiences with the news media and legislators


Please E-Mail and Call Your County Legislator to Support Legislation to Ban Gun Shows at the Westchester County Center

Click the links below to be transferred directly to your legislator's page.

If you don't know which county legislator represents you, click here and enter your street address.  


Message (cut and paste):  
Please pass legislation now to ban all Gun Shows at the Westchester County Center and all county property.   As a Westchester County resident and taxpayer, I strongly oppose the use of our county-owned buildings and grounds to facilitate private sales of firearms.  

Add your own comments!   


                        WESTCHESTER COUNTY BOARD OF LEGISLATORS
                                              CONTACT INFORMATION


Name (Click to Email)
District
Represents
Phone

John G. Testa
(Minority Leader)
1
Cortlandt, Peekskill, Yorktown
914-995-2828
Francis T. Corcoran
2
Bedford, Lewisboro, Mount Kisco, North Salem, Pound Ridge, Somers
914-995-2810
Margaret A. Cunzio
3
Mount Pleasant, North Castle, Pleasantville
914-995-2847
Michael B. Kaplowitz (Chairman)
4
New Castle, Somers, Yorktown
914-995-2848
Benjamin Boykin
5
White Plains, Scarsdale, Harrison
914-995-2827
David B. Gelfarb
6
Harrison, Port Chester, Rye Brook
914-995-2834
Catherine F. Parker
7
Harrison, Larchmont, 
Mamaroneck, New Rochelle, Rye
914-995-2802
Alfreda  A. Williams
(Majority Whip)
8
Elmsford, Greenburgh, Sleepy Hollow, Tarrytown
914-995-2833
Catherine Borgia
(Majority Leader)
9
Briarcliff Manor, Cortlandt, Croton-on-Hudson, Ossining, Peekskill
914-995-2812
Sheila Marcotte
10
Eastchester, New Rochelle, Tuckahoe
914-995-2817
James Maisano
(Vice Chair)
11
New Rochelle, Pelham, Pelham Manor
914-995-2826
MaryJane Shimsky
12
Ardsley, Dobbs Ferry, Edgemont, Hartsdale,   Hastings-on-Hudson, Irvington
914-995-2821
Lyndon Williams
13
Mount Vernon
914-995-2837
David J. Tubiolo
14
Yonkers, Mount Vernon
914-995-2815
Gordon A. Burrows
(Minority Whip)
15
Bronxville, Yonkers
914-995-2830
Kenneth W. Jenkins
16
Yonkers
914-995-2829
Virginia Perez
17
Yonkers
914-995-2846




Posted by at

Candlelight Vigil -- Monday Night @ 6:30 PM


Candlelight Vigil 
Marking Gun Violence Deaths in Westchester as Legislators
Prepare to Vote to Ban Gun Shows on County Properties
Monday, January 9

6:30-7:00pm
Front steps of Michaelian Office Building
148 Martine Ave., White Plains, NY 10601

Sponsored by Interfaith Clergy for Social Action and WESPAC


As Westchester County legislators prepare to vote on a bill that would ban gun shows from being held at the County Center on Monday, January 9, Interfaith Clergy for Social Action and WESPAC will gather concerned county residents for candlelight vigil from 6:30-7:00pm. 

The Vigil will be a time of prayer, song and silence to show support for the ban and to remember many people killed due to gun violence in Westchester. 

At 7:00pm legislators will vote on the bill.  If approved, it will be sent to the County Executive who is expected to veto.  An override would require 12 votes.  The Westchester County Executive lifted the ban in 2010 and a gun show is planned for later in January.

All are welcome to this public witness.  Candles will be provided.  This vigil has a permit with the City of White Plains.

Additional background in The Journal News, “Lawmakers move to block gun show advances”, Jan. 3, 2017.
Posted by at

Wednesday, January 4, 2017

Yank gun show from Westchester County Center, readers say

Center should host merriment, not death machines

Gun shows must be banned on county property through the passage of Act 9417. This blood-stained spectacle is contributing to the new, violent normalcy of gun violence.
For us, the Westchester County Center is a place where people have gathered to see the Nutcracker, for college fairs and a chocolate expo. Turning a space that brings the community together for merriment, into a hall of death machines is toxic. By doing so, we show residents and visitors that buying guns is no different than buying chocolate; that guns are simply toys, meant to be collected, traded, and played with; that gunshots are no different than the shots made by our very own Westchester Knicks.
The most recent New York State GIVE Initiative Crime, Arrest, and Firearm Activity Report, issued on Nov. 14, details an alarming 12.2 percent increase in firearm-related New York murders from 2015 to 2016.
Our very own gun show, in a space meant to showcase the best of Westchester, encourages this statistic. We are putting more guns on the street, into the hands of killers. We are responsible.
We will not stand for the trivialization of violence by making it a spectacle in our own backyard. We beseech you to contact your district legislators, and end the normalization of gun violence.
Ariane Gottlieb and Elana Confino-Pinzon
Ardsley

Out of respect for Shamoya's family, ban gun show

Accompanying this front-page article is a photo of Mount Vernon Mayor Richard Thomas trying to comfort the mother of Shamoya McKenzie, a 13-year-old girl killed by a stray bullet on New Year's Eve.
Late last year it was announced that a gun show is planned for the Westchester County Center this month. That show, according to a report in The Journal News, will include the sale of handguns and military-style weapons.
What's wrong with this picture?
Perhaps Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino could also take a few minutes out of his schedule to offer comfort to Shamoya's mother. At the same time, perhaps he might explain to her why the county's interest in promoting gun sales outweighs the county's interest in keeping our children — and the rest of us — safe from gun violence.
Paul Gross, M.D.
New Rochelle

Guns remain a public health issue

The Westchester Children’s Association supports a permanent ban on gun shows at the Westchester County Center or other County property. While we recognize that gun ownership is legal, and that most gun owners are responsible citizens, we nevertheless regard the proliferation of guns in our communities as a major public health problem with devastating consequences for children and their families.
Guns are a menace to children.
•    Nationally in 2013, 1,670 children (age 0 to 18 years) died by gunshot and an additional 9,718 were injured.
•    Nationally, every 36 hours, a child unintentionally fires a gun and kills or injures himself or someone else. Among children, the majority of unintentional shooting deaths occur in the home.
•    More than 75 percent of guns used by youth in suicide attempts were kept in the home of the victim, a relative or a friend.
•   Children are frequently the unintended victims of community violence, as we recently witnessed in the tragic shooting death of Shamoya McKenzie, 13, in Mount Vernon.
•    Domestic violence is more likely to turn deadly with a gun in the home. Children as well as partners can be the victims.
In 1999, gun shows were banned by former County Executive Andrew Spano in the wake of the mass shooting at Columbine High School in Colorado. County Executive Rob Astorino also banned them temporarily in 2012 after the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, when 20 young children and six staff members were killed. At that time, Westchester County launched its Safer Communities initiative to prevent and reduce community violence.
We believe that allowing gun shows at the County Center is an inappropriate use of a public facility, and we urge Westchester County to permanently ban gun shows at county-owned facilities. Such a ban would honor the County’s commitment to Safer Communities and promote the health and safety of all our residents, especially children.
Cora Greenberg
The writer is executive director of Westchester Children's Association. 

Recent shootings underscore need for ban

There were two tragic gun shootings during the holiday season in Mount Vernon. The City of Mount Vernon mourned the loss of a 13-year-old girl unintentionally shot and killed in broad daylight on Saturday, Dec. 31. A few days before that incident there was another gun shooting at a Mount Vernon nightclub. An innocent man lost his life. These incidents highlight the fact that guns kill people — intentionally and unintentionally.
Gun shows haven’t been held at the County Center since the Sandy Hook massacre four years ago.
Some legislators, residents and I are disgusted that a gun show and knife show should be held at a government building. The Board of Legislators will be voting on legislation to ban gun shows at government-owned buildings on Jan. 9 at the County Office Building in White Plains at 7 p.m. I expect to attend the meeting and will urge the Legislature to approve the legislation. If people want to purchase guns, buy the guns from private dealers — not in a government taxpayer-funded building.
The county should not promote the purchase of guns. When an accident occurs it could be fatal.
Residents who agree gun shows should be banned at the County Center should attend the County Board of Legislators meeting on January 9 at 7 p.m., 148 Martine Ave., White Plains.
Paul Feiner
Greenburgh
The writer is Town of Greenburgh supervisor.

Astorino will lose vote if gun show is OK'd

I strongly object to Westchester County sponsoring the gun show. I have been a Westchester County resident for 53 years. I am a widow, the mother of five children and grandmother of 13. When I think of my grandchildren being exposed to the opportunity to purchase weapons, or worse yet, to the consequences of gun violence, I am fearful and horrified.
Gun shows should not be held in county-owned and county-sponsored venues. Gun sellers and gun buyers can rent privately.
After all this nation has suffered due to gun violence in places like Sandy Hook and Orlando (and many others too numerous to mention, unfortunately), Westchester County should be in the forefront of gun-control efforts, not supporting and encouraging gun sales.
Rob Astorino has my assurance he will not receive my vote in his run for governor if he allows this show to take place.
I applaud Paul Feiner for speaking out against the upcoming plans.
Please let us all work to make our world a place of peace, where ordinary citizens do not have to live in fear.
Eileen M. Cain
White Plains 
Posted by at

Tuesday, January 3, 2017

Lawmakers' move to block gun show advances

by , The Journal News10:22 p.m. ET Jan. 3, 2017
A move to block an upcoming gun show at the Westchester County Center advanced forward Tuesday evening, with members of three committees on the Westchester County Board of Legislators recommending a full vote on the measure next week.
Democrats on committees for Legislation, Labor/Parks/Planning/Housing and Public Safety & Social Services signed off on the proposal, which would prohibit gun shows from being held on county-owned property, and it will head before the county board of legislators at its Jan. 9 meeting for final consideration.
Should legislation pass, however, County Executive Rob Astorino is expected to veto the bill, according his spokesman, Phil Oliva. An override would need 12 votes, which would require support from a few of the seven Republicans and one Conservative Party member on the 17-member board.
Word of the show's planned return after a four-year hiatus surfaced in the middle of December and prompted local Democrats to call for the county to reinstate an earlier ban on such expos.  Shortly after, Mike Kaplowitz, a Democrat and chairman of the Board of Legislators told The Journal News he'll fast-track a bill that would immediately ban gun shows on county-owned property so that it's voted on Jan. 9 - ahead of the shows on Jan. 21 and 22.
In recent weeks, a petition urging the county to put the ban back in effect has received nearly 4,950 signatures.
As a counter proposal to an outright ban, Republicans aim to put forward a bill on Jan. 9 establishing safety procedures for firearms shows, in order to make residents "feel more secure" about the events. The guidelines include requirements for tagging sold guns to demonstrate they've met background checks and police patrols to prevent illegal gun sales outside of and around the building.
In 2010, Astorino lifted the ban, which had been put in place by his predecessor, Democrat Andrew Spano, following the 1999 massacre at Columbine High School in Colorado. However, after a gunman murdered 20 children and six teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut in 2012, Astorino canceled a show for February 2013 and there hasn't been once since.
Westchester Collectors, which has held gun shows at the venue since the early 1980s, is set to host a 350-table sportsman firearm and knife show/sale on Jan. 21 and 22.  On sale will be modern, antique and collectible firearms, ammunition, handguns, knives, military-style weapons, books and other gun-related memorabilia.
The county is expected to receive $23,000 from Westchester Collectors to rent the space, along with $2 per admission ticket sold, according to Astorino's office.
Legislator Ken Jenkins (D-Yonkers) pointed out the Democrats' proposal doesn't prevent the show's organizers from hosting it on private property; it just bars them from using parks and facilities owned by the county. "It is not a business the county should be getting into and I am glad we took this first big step to making this the law of Westchester," Jenkins said in a statement Tuesday evening.
This isn't the first attempt to get rid of gun shows at the County Center.
In 2015, a petition calling for a ban on gun shows didn't go far, with Astorino saying he had no plans to limit firearms shows there and that the county would consider a request made by a licensed operator in the future. An October 2015 proposal by Democrats on the Board of Legislators for the ban never advanced.
"On New Year's Eve, my community suffered another senseless act of gun violence," Legislator Lyndon Williams (D-Mount Vernon) said in a statement Tuesday evening.  "This time, a 13-year-old eighth grader became the victim of crossfire as she sat in the passenger seat of her mother's car. It is time for us to take a strong stand against the proliferation of guns in our community. A strong message banning sales and distribution of guns at gun shows from the county center and on any county-owner building is the first step."
Posted by at

Saturday, December 24, 2016

Lawmakers' move to block gun show to face veto, but new rules offered

by Mark Lungariello , mlungariel@lohud.com, The Journal News
December 23, 2016
A veto is likely for any gun-show ban.
Republicans instead are proposing a law that would establish gun show procedures.
A move to block the upcoming gun show at the Westchester County Center isn't likely to go far, but stricter regulations are now on the table.

Mike Kaplowitz, a Democrat and chairman of the Board of Legislators, said County Executive Rob Astorino fueled the gun debate when he booked the show, the first at the center in four years.

“The speculation is this is just a crass political move on his part to garner support in the county for his upcoming runs for county executive and governor,” he said.

The Republican incumbent is up for re-election next year and is eyeing a second run for New York state governor in 2018, after he lost to Gov. Andrew Cuomo in 2014.




Kaplowitz said he’ll fast-track a bill that would immediately ban gun shows on county-owned property so that it’s voted on Jan. 9 – ahead of the gun show on Jan. 21 and 22.

But, the county executive will veto any bill banning gun shows, his spokesman Phil Oliva confirmed Wednesday. An override would need 12 votes, and reaching that number is impossible without support from a few of the seven Republicans and one Conservative Party member on the 17-member board.
Counter proposal
As a counter proposal to an outright ban, the Republican caucus is instead proposing a law that would establish gun show procedures. The bill, which would follow a model established by state Attorney General Eric T. Schiederman, would make residents “feel more secure” about gun shows by having strict requirements, the GOP caucus said in a joint statement.

“We can take an important step in Westchester that will preserve the Constitutional protections of citizens while assuring the public that a proven successful procedure for the event is in place,” Republican Majority Leader John Testa said in the statement.

The proposed guidelines include requirements for tagging sold guns to show they’ve met background checks under state law, the posting of signs about state background-check requirements and police patrols to prevent illegal gun sales outside of and around the building.

Kaplowitz said he anticipates that second proposal will go to vote alongside the ban on Jan. 9.
The public's view
Some county residents said the debate is all for naught, with the vendors following state laws and the gun shows being safe.

Greenburgh resident Chris Coppolecchia, 37, said he’s thrilled to see a show back at the center and said bans were politically motivated in a liberal-leaning county where gun enthusiasts are in a minority.

By taking money from hosting the show, the county isn’t taking a stand on the issue, he said.

“The subject matter shouldn’t matter much from having a comic-book show, tattoo show or a pet rescue event,” he said. “Apparently, there is enough interest from the public that will draw a sizeable enough of a crowd. It provides a safe environment for people who share a common interest.”

Former County Executive Andy Spano, a Democrat, enacted a gun-show ban at the center after the 1999 Columbine High School massacre. Astorino lifted the ban upon coming into office in 2010, but canceled a show scheduled for February 2013 after a gunman murdered 20 students and children at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, in 2012.

Astorino is bringing the show back after several pushes from Democratic lawmakers to pass a law that would ban gun shows at the center and all other county-owned properties. News of the upcoming gun show caught Democratic legislators off-guard, with Kaplowitz saying he only heard of the show when asked about it by a Journal News/lohud.com reporter on Monday.

The Democratic caucus quickly called for a vote on the dormant ban legislation.

The county is expecting to take in between $40,000 and $50,000 over the two days, according to Astorino’s spokesman. That includes a $23,000 flat fee, $2 per ticket sold and parking and sales tax revenue. Chairman Kaplowitz has countered that any income would be offset by the cost of added security at and around the center.

Twitter: @marklungariello




Posted by at

Tuesday, December 20, 2016

Democrats Call for Vote on Gun Show Ban


Democrats Call for Vote on Gun Show Ban  (News Release, 12/20/16)

News from the Democratic Caucus
For Immediate Release: December 20, 2016

(WHITE PLAINS, NY)  Upon learning of the proposed gun and knife show slated to take place at the Westchester County Center in January, members of the Democratic Caucus are outraged and committed to take action.

“I first introduced the County Gun Show Ban in 2010, when I heard of the actions taken by the County Executive. Since that time, I have fought to have a fair hearing for this bill that aims to ensure the Westchester County Center is used for purposes that promote the positive ideals that make up one of our County’s most treasured assets” said Legislator Ken Jenkins (D-Yonkers). “I am asking that Board of Legislators immediately hold a vote on the proposed gun show ban legislation. We need to discuss how we as a County feel about using our facilities on purposes so closely associated with horrific violence” added Jenkins.

A ban on gun shows at the County Center was instituted by former County Executive Andy Spano but was later rescinded by the current County Executive in 2010.

“To host this sale of firearms and knives on County property sends the wrong message to those we have been elected to serve” said Legislator Ben Boykin, Chair, Committee on Public Safety and Social Services (D-White Plains). “The County Center is the home of an exciting local basketball team, many of our children have graduated in that building, each weekend it is filled with County residents excited to learn about whatever new exhibit is in town. To use this family friendly property to sell weapons is not in the best interests of Westchester County residents. I fully expect my committee to bring legislation to the full Board of Legislators for a vote” added Boykin.

Legislator Catherine Parker (D-Rye), who has recently held meetings with residents concerned about the opening of a gun store in Harrison, added “this is a growing trend in Westchester County and we on the Board of Legislators need to send a clear message that enough is enough. Everyone has seen too many stories of gun violence in communities all over the country. We should be doing everything we can to keep these weapons out of our County not inviting them in.”

“In our current climate, with reported threats of violence at more than one Westchester school in recent weeks, it sends a terrible message for the County to sanction a gun show on its property. The County should not put the community at risk, and potentially create liability for our taxpayers. It's time for the County to reinstate the gun show ban on its own property” said Legislator MaryJane Shimsky (D-Hastings-on-Hudson).


Posted by at

Gun show returns to Westchester County Center

By Kimberly Redmond , The Journal News 7:36 p.m. EST December 19, 2016
The show is scheduled for Jan. 21 and 22.
The planned return of a gun show to the Westchester County Center after a four-year hiatus has local Democrats calling for the county to reinstate an earlier ban on such expos.
County Executive Rob Astorino, a Republican, lifted the ban in 2010, after it had been put in place by his predecessor, Democrat Andrew Spano, following the 1999 massacre at Columbine High School in Colorado.
However, after a gunman murdered 20 children and six teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, in 2012, Astorino canceled a show scheduled for February 2013 at the center, and there hasn't been one since.
That'll change next month, when Westchester Collectors which has hosted gun shows since the early 1980s at the venue, returns with a 350-table sportsman firearm and knife show/sale on Jan. 21 and 22.
On sale will be modern, antique and collectible firearms, ammunition, handguns, knives, military-style weapons, books and gun-related memorabilia. But not if longtime gun show critic Paul Feiner has something to say about it.
"I am very upset that a gun show is being scheduled for the County Center in January, right after Donald Trump's inauguration as president," said Feiner, the Democratic town supervisor of Greenburgh. "I don't believe that gun shows should be held in government buildings. The county should not encourage people to purchase guns. If people want to buy guns they should purchase guns elsewhere at private locations."
Feiner called again Monday for the county to reinstate the ban on firearms and gun shows in county facilities. He made similar requests following a mass shooting last year at Umpqua Community College in Oregon and after the Sandy Hook Elementary massacre.
"It's bad policy to take tax dollars from this controversial industry," said county Board of Legislators Chairman Michael Kaplowitz, D-Somers. "It's bad taste to have a gun show with Sandy Hook next door. And, it's bad faith for the county executive to sneak this in when everyone is off celebrating the holidays and the New Year. It's outrageous and I'll be supporting legislation to ban it and I believe we have the majority votes needed."
Kapolowitz added that it's "not acceptable" that he only learned the show had been scheduled when The Journal News/lohud contacted him Monday for a comment, rather than by the county offices.
Beyond confirming the event, "We don't have a general comment other than that this sportsmen's show has been well-run and well-attended in the past and we hope and expect that the upcoming show will be every bit as successful," said Philip Oliva, a spokesman for the county executive's office.
The show is hosted in conjunction with the NRA, and its organizers told attendees to be prepared to undergo the background checks required by law to buy any firearms at the event.
A listing for the show does not appear on the county center's website, which touts a circus and a home show among other upcoming events.
Oliva said the person who handles those listings was out last week and it should be online in a few days. He said the gun show has been advertised on the electronic marquee outside the County Center since last week.
The county is expected to receive $23,000 from Westchester Collectors to rent the space, along with $2 per admission ticket sold, according to Astorino's office.
In 2015, a petition calling for a ban on gun shows at the County Center didn't go far, with Astorino saying he had no plans to limit firearms shows there and that the county would consider a request made by a licensed operator in the future. An October 2015 proposal by Democrats on the Board of Legislators for the ban never advanced.
Noting Astorino's ambitions of one day holding state office, Feiner said, "He thinks it'll help him upstate by appealing to right-wing Republicans, rather that what the people in Westchester want, which is no guns in government buildings."
Feiner said he would send a letter to Astorino and the Board of Legislators on Tuesday, urging them to cancel the show.
Posted by at
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)