More than 150 people, including representatives from Long Island, several activist groups and community members came together to rally against gun violence on Aug. 7, at Haypath Park in Old Bethpage.
The event, Call to Action to End Gun Violence, was hosted by State Senators Anna M. Kaplan, Jim Gaughran, Kevin Thomas and Monica R. Martinez, as well as Together We Will Long Island, Long Islanders for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action NY. The rally was in response to the deadly mass shootings that took place across the country over the past several weeks, including the latest instances in El Paso, TX, and Dayton, OH, which left 31 people dead.
As of 2019, there have been 254 mass shootings in the U.S., according to data from the nonprofit Gun Violence Archive (GVA). This shows that there has been an average of more than one mass shooting a day, so far this year.
“Our country is facing an epidemic of senseless gun violence,” Gaughran, who works with the Plainview community, said. “This year, New York led the way by passing common sense gun reforms to protect our children and the public, including a red flag law, expanded background checks and safe storage laws. Now, Washington must step up and follow our lead.”
Unfortunately, gun violence recently hit close to home. Just last month, Haypath Park was the site of a robbery-gone-wrong that led to the shooting death of 22-year-old Stefon Pierre. Community officials have made an effort to make the park safer and believed it was an isolated incident, but further safety measures were a key talking point in the rally.
“Our children have a right to grow up in safe neighborhoods,” Thomas, who represents Old Bethpage, said. “We don’t have to accept this deadly status quo. As lawmakers, we have a responsibility to enact common sense policies that will protect our communities from gun violence.”
In an effort to raise awareness of the importance of ending gun violence in America, the groups that hosted the rally invite Long Islanders to listen to activists, victims of gun violence, faith leaders and elected officials as they call on the federal government to act on common sense gun reform.
Rachel Klein, founder of Long Islanders for Gun Safety, shared that her organization’s mission is to pass common sense gun legislation and generally make the world a better and safer place.
“We decided to co-sponsor the rally because when you go to sleep worrying about one mass shooting and wake up to news of another, you realize enough is enough,” Klein said. “As we send our kids off to school, worried about lockdown drills and active shooters, I want people in the community to know that life doesn’t have to be this way.”
Assemblyman Charles Lavine released a statement after the event in support of the rally and urged those at the highest level of government to do something about gun violence in the country.
“The fact of the matter is, thoughts and prayers just aren’t cutting it anymore,” said Lavine. “The lack of action and mixed messages from our leaders at the federal level needs to be addressed and the folks who were present for last week’s rally are not going to sit by and wait for another tragedy to happen.”
Speakers at the rally included Sergio Argueta from STRONG Youth, Inc., Heath Broughton from Man in the Mirror, Eve Krief from the American Academy of Pediatrics, David Kilmnick from the LGBT Network, Rabbi Jenn Weinstein of Congregation Simchat HaLev of Syosset and U.S. Congressman Tom Suozzi.
“We don’t have to accept this as our new normal,” Klein said. “We can rally together with members of the community, elected officials, faith leaders, advocates and activists and demand change.”
—Additional reporting by Christopher Birsner
