I'm glad I had the good sense to leave when I did...
These SOB's just will not quit, with their idiocy...
May 6, 2004
http://www.davidyassky.com/show_art.php?id=59
Council Members David Yassky (D-Brooklyn), Eva Moskowitz (D-Manhattan) and Albert Vann (D-Brooklyn) unveiled bold legislation today aimed at stopping the flow of illegal guns into New York. Their ?Gun Industry Responsibility Act? (GIRA) would make firearms manufacturers and dealers liable for reckless selling practices that put guns in the hands of criminals.
Under the GIRA, any victim of gun violence in New York State who is injured or killed by an illegal gun could sue the gun's manufacturer or dealer. Both manufacturers and dealers could exempt themselves from liability, however, by meeting a code of responsible conduct designed to prevent illegal gun trafficking.
?We are under attack by the gun industry,? Yassky, author of the Brady Bill and Assault Weapons Ban, said. ?The manufacturers know who the dirty dealers are, but they refuse to do anything to stop them. That is why we have to use the courts to stop the violence ourselves.?
The GIRA also has broad support in the state government. Sen. Eric Schneiderman (D-Manhattan) and Assm. Scott Stringer (D-Manhattan) have authored companion legislation in the Senate and Assembly. Both lawmakers joined in support today of the proposed City law.
?By passing the ?Gun Industry Responsibility Act?, the City Council can send a powerful message to my colleagues in the Senate Majority that gun manufacturers should be held accountable for closing their eyes to illegal gun trafficking, and the lives that are destroyed because of it in our city,? Schneiderman said.
"It is imperative we make gun manufacturers and dealers responsible for the products they sell, so they will sell them with greater caution,? Stringer said. ?This measure will stop the flow of illegal guns onto our streets and ultimately reduce violence."
Due to the strict gun laws in New York and the lax gun laws in other states, more illegal guns are trafficked into New York than into any other state. Eighty-four percent of all guns used in New York City crimes in 2000 were purchased out-of-state, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. About 60 percent of those guns were bought from less than 1.5 percent of the country?s federally licensed firearms dealers.
The council members were joined by dozens of other elected officials, leaders of community and anti-violence groups and victims of gun violence who will speak about their experiences and the need for this legislation.
Karin Wilson, of Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, who is the New York Downstate Captain for the Million Mom March, shared the grief she has felt since her teenage son was shot to death several years ago.
?Gun violence is a cancer in our communities,? Ms. Wilson said. ?Gun violence survivors, that?s the walking wounded and thousands of people fall into the survivor category. It feels like a war and it is a battle for our future and our future generations. Bullets maim and kill and it could happen to you. My son was murdered four and a half years ago, but I refuse to be a helpless victim. I will honor my son Christian?s life.?
Johnnymae Robinson, of Brownsville, Brooklyn, who lost her 21-year-old son Shawn Karon Gainesto to gun violence several years ago, also spoke at the press conference. Ms. Robinson said she has seen an unprecedented escalation in violence in her neighborhood in recent months, including the recent shooting death of 2-year-old Damani Spruill, who lived across the street from her.
?Mother?s Day is a special day but it would be even more special if we didn?t have to eulogize our children on Monday morning,? Ms. Robinson said.
These SOB's just will not quit, with their idiocy...
May 6, 2004
http://www.davidyassky.com/show_art.php?id=59
Council Members David Yassky (D-Brooklyn), Eva Moskowitz (D-Manhattan) and Albert Vann (D-Brooklyn) unveiled bold legislation today aimed at stopping the flow of illegal guns into New York. Their ?Gun Industry Responsibility Act? (GIRA) would make firearms manufacturers and dealers liable for reckless selling practices that put guns in the hands of criminals.
Under the GIRA, any victim of gun violence in New York State who is injured or killed by an illegal gun could sue the gun's manufacturer or dealer. Both manufacturers and dealers could exempt themselves from liability, however, by meeting a code of responsible conduct designed to prevent illegal gun trafficking.
?We are under attack by the gun industry,? Yassky, author of the Brady Bill and Assault Weapons Ban, said. ?The manufacturers know who the dirty dealers are, but they refuse to do anything to stop them. That is why we have to use the courts to stop the violence ourselves.?
The GIRA also has broad support in the state government. Sen. Eric Schneiderman (D-Manhattan) and Assm. Scott Stringer (D-Manhattan) have authored companion legislation in the Senate and Assembly. Both lawmakers joined in support today of the proposed City law.
?By passing the ?Gun Industry Responsibility Act?, the City Council can send a powerful message to my colleagues in the Senate Majority that gun manufacturers should be held accountable for closing their eyes to illegal gun trafficking, and the lives that are destroyed because of it in our city,? Schneiderman said.
"It is imperative we make gun manufacturers and dealers responsible for the products they sell, so they will sell them with greater caution,? Stringer said. ?This measure will stop the flow of illegal guns onto our streets and ultimately reduce violence."
Due to the strict gun laws in New York and the lax gun laws in other states, more illegal guns are trafficked into New York than into any other state. Eighty-four percent of all guns used in New York City crimes in 2000 were purchased out-of-state, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. About 60 percent of those guns were bought from less than 1.5 percent of the country?s federally licensed firearms dealers.
The council members were joined by dozens of other elected officials, leaders of community and anti-violence groups and victims of gun violence who will speak about their experiences and the need for this legislation.
Karin Wilson, of Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, who is the New York Downstate Captain for the Million Mom March, shared the grief she has felt since her teenage son was shot to death several years ago.
?Gun violence is a cancer in our communities,? Ms. Wilson said. ?Gun violence survivors, that?s the walking wounded and thousands of people fall into the survivor category. It feels like a war and it is a battle for our future and our future generations. Bullets maim and kill and it could happen to you. My son was murdered four and a half years ago, but I refuse to be a helpless victim. I will honor my son Christian?s life.?
Johnnymae Robinson, of Brownsville, Brooklyn, who lost her 21-year-old son Shawn Karon Gainesto to gun violence several years ago, also spoke at the press conference. Ms. Robinson said she has seen an unprecedented escalation in violence in her neighborhood in recent months, including the recent shooting death of 2-year-old Damani Spruill, who lived across the street from her.
?Mother?s Day is a special day but it would be even more special if we didn?t have to eulogize our children on Monday morning,? Ms. Robinson said.