Keeping New York Sane in Insane Times

(This is the opinion of Scarsdale10583 founder Joanne Wallenstein)
Looking at the polarized political national landscape I used to console myself with the thought that I live in New York, a state that has strong gun control laws and offers legalized abortion. In the face of school shootings in Florida, limitations on abortion in Texas and states run by legislators with far-right agendas based on evangelical beliefs, I found comfort knowing that I chose to live in a state led by smart sensible legislators intent on protecting my rights and the safety of my family and friends.

But in one stunning week, two Supreme Court decisions have rocked all my assumptions. First, on Thursday the Supreme Court overturned the NYS ban on carry concealed weapons in public places. Then on Friday, we got another kick in the teeth when we learned that the Court had overturned Roe vs. Wade, denying women everywhere the right to choose whether or not to have a baby.

As justification for the first decision, we were told that gun control cannot be dictated by state government, and in the second, the Federal government said abortion policy was up to each state leaving many states to outlaw abortion immediately.

That’s a stunner. You don’t have to be a legal scholar to see the hypocrisy.

Beyond the legal policy, there are practical implications to these decisions. Both add a new level of uncertainty and anxiety to our lives. Can we enjoy movies, concerts and theater knowing that all it takes is one individual with a gun to end it all? How can parents leave their children at school every day, knowing the district can never spend enough to guarantee their safety? And for women everywhere, how can they live their lives the way they choose, knowing that they have lost the right to determine their own future?

I certainly did not vote for the Senators who voted in the Supreme Court justices who adopted these decisions. Some of the senators who did vote for them in are now complaining that they believed deceptive testimony during their confirmation hearings. Though Kavanaugh, Coney Barret and Gorsuch all pledged to respect precedent, when cloaked in their robes and protected by closed doors, they changed their minds. Now we’ve all become victims of crazy decisions based in precedent from the 18th and 19th century, when women did not even have the right to vote.

I asked some experts what, if anything, I could do to change this, and they all said one thing. Vote for the right people this year, and support elections in other states to elect Democrats.

In the meantime, I will continue to support our own State Assemblywoman Amy Paulin. In response to the Supreme Court decision on guns, she is introducing more gun control legislation to control the sale and possession of guns.

See below for what she plans to do to secure our safety in New York State.

(From Amy Paulin)

Instead of upholding New York’s laws which help combat gun violence, the U.S. Supreme Court has now overturned a 1913 New York statute which limits permits to carry firearms only to individuals who can demonstrate “proper cause” or the need to carry a firearm due to their employment.

This disastrous decision will result in exponentially more New Yorkers carrying a gun in public and will put all New Yorkers in harm’s way every day. It will also imperil the safety of law enforcement, paramedics, fire personnel and all those who work in the public safety sphere.

Our country experiences gun deaths on a daily basis. Most recently we had horrific mass shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde, and even in the few weeks since then we have had several more. Given the seriousness of what we continue to face, the Court’s decision is beyond reckless – it is deadly.

Despite the Court’s profoundly disheartening decision, I will not be deterred from fighting to keep our communities safe. I plan to continue advancing the most stringent gun legislation possible to protects New Yorkers, and along with Senator Brian Kavanagh, I have just introduced several additional bills in light of the Court’s decision.

We now need to ensure that guns are prohibited from mass transit, entertainment venues, religious institutions, and bars and restaurants where alcohol is served, just to name a few. I have introduced a bill that will make it a crime to possess guns at these “sensitive places.”

I’ve also introduced a bill requiring a license to possess shot guns and rifles. This is common sense and should already be in place – there is no more time to wait to enact this law.

The third bill requires all firearm permit holders to have an evaluation from a mental health professional rather than merely stating that they are mentally fit which is what the current law requires.

Another bill requires completion of a training course in order to obtain a license for a firearm under New York State law, and an advanced training course which includes time on the firing range for those seeking a license to carry a weapon in public. Requiring thorough training for all permit holders will help increase public safety as more guns are now likely to be carried out onto New York’s streets.

Finally, I’ve introduced a bill which requires background checks prior to the renewal of a license to carry or possess a pistol or revolver. This will lead to license holders being screened every 5 years to ensure that they have no prior conviction of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence, have not been involuntarily committed to a mental health facility pursuant to NYS mental hygiene, criminal procedure, and correction laws, and have not been reported by a medical health professional to likely engage in conduct that would result in serious harm to themselves or others. Reexamining all license holders’ eligibility to possess a firearm license every five years is an essential safeguard to help ensure the safety of all New Yorkers.

The Court has now made the utterly irresponsible and deadly decision to loosen gun laws in our country rather than tighten them. In New York we are going to fight this decision, and I’m committed, along with Senator Brian Kavanagh to doing so in the New York State Legislature by passing laws which restrict gun access and presence, and increase gun safety.