Move highlights county efforts to keep residents safe from gun violence
Nassau County’s second gun buyback event of 2019 will be held from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Sept. 28, at Union Baptist Church, located at 24 Clinton C. Boone Place, Hempstead NY 11550. In a new video promoting the gun buyback, Linda Beigel Schulman, mother of Parkland shooting victim Scott Beigel Schulman, discusses the value of gun buybacks.
Nassau County Executive Laura Curran was joined by District Attorney Madeline Singas, Linda Beigel Schulman (mother of Parkland shooting victim Scott Beigel), advocates from Moms Demand Action and Long Islanders for Gun Safety, State Senator Jim Gaughran, Senator Anna Kaplan, Assemblywoman Taylor Darling, and Assemblywoman Judy Griffin, to raise awareness about the gun violence epidemic and highlight local efforts to keep residents safe. This is Nassau County’s second gun buyback of 2019.
In March, Nassau County held a successful buyback event in Uniondale, where a total of 366 handguns, rifles and assault rifles were submitted. Since 2008, Nassau County has taken more than 4,500 guns off the streets through gun buybacks.
“Nassau County has hit record crime lows thanks to the hard-working men and women in law-enforcement, and our commitment to community policing and building trust between law enforcement and our residents. But we will not be complacent when it comes to protecting our residents from gun violence,” said Curran. “We owe it to children in all our communities to fight for a future free from gun violence. Gun buybacks help keep guns out of the hands of those who should not have them. The more guns we get off the streets, the safer our communities will be.”
“Gun violence has taken so many lives in our country and we owe it to every victim to advocate for common sense gun laws that will prevent this senseless loss of life,” Singas said. “New York continues to lead the way—with smart legislation, and low levels of gun violence. But we must continue to do more at every level, because even one gun death is one too many.”
“I am proud to stand with Nassau County Executive Laura Curran as she announces another gun buyback for Nassau County,” said Schulman, mother of Scott Beigel, victim of the Parkland shooting and founder of the Scott J Beigel Memorial Fund. “This gun buyback will save lives by getting guns off the streets of Nassau County. This buyback program, along with the Red Flag Law signed earlier this year, will help reduce the number of suicides, enhance the safety of the citizens of Nassau County whether in schools, houses of worship, malls, movie theaters or any other public places. This gun buyback program will help to reduce gun violence perpetrated by domestic abusers. County Executive Laura Curran should be commended for all of her continuous hard work to make Nassau County safer for all its residents. It goes without saying that Laura Curran believes, as I do, that “We the People” have the right to be safe from senseless and preventable gun violence.”
Curran highlighted that on Oct. 20, there will be a Run 4 Beigel Long Island 5K Run/Walk, in honor of Scott’s 37th birthday for the Scott J Beigel Memorial Fund. The Scott J. Beigel Memorial Fund is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose mission statement and purpose is to help send under privileged children touched by gun violence to summer camp.
“While the federal government continues to refuse to take action on the gun violence epidemic plaguing our nation, New York State has taken the lead in enacting common sense gun safety laws to keep New Yorkers safe,” said Gaughran. “I applaud County Executive Curran and DA Singas’ leadership in taking proactive steps to keep public spaces and our community safe.”
The gun buyback will be held at 24 Clinton C. Boone Place, Hempstead, between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. Rifles can be turned in for $100 cash, handguns for $200 cash, and assault rifles for $400 cash. Weapons must be operable, and guns must be unloaded and put in a plastic or paper bag or shoe box.
Curran emphasized that although Nassau County has hit historic major crime lows thanks to its commitment community policing and building relationships with the community, the county will not be complacent in its efforts to protect residents from gun violence.
As of the beginning of the 2018-19 school year, every single school building has received a security assessment from Nassau County PD to ensure administration, staff, and students are ready for any security emergency that may occur, including an active shooter situation.
The RAVE app has been implemented successfully in all school districts. The Rave panic button instantly delivers data to 911 dispatchers and first responders, helping cut response time to security emergencies.
Nassau County PD vehicles have been equipped with breaching devices to ensure officers can get to anybody who’s trapped behind a wall. Every single police car will now have these tools. County law enforcement have also worked closely with houses of worship to ensure maximized protection.
Curran also shared disturbing statistics on the rise in firearm suicide, emphasizing that the multidimensionality of gun violence. Firearm suicide claims the lives of more than 22,000 Americans every year, including more than 1,000 children and teens. Nearly two-thirds of all gun deaths in the U.S. are suicides, resulting in an average of 61 deaths a day. Over the past decade, the U.S. firearm suicide rate has increased by 19 percent. This trend has been of particular concern for children and teens, whose firearm suicide rate has increased by 82 percent over the past 10 years; and for veterans, who have a firearm suicide rate 1.5 times higher than non-veteran adults.
—Nassau County
