As we reflect on the conditions and events that led to the tragic death of Trayvon Martin, let us also recommit ourselves to preventing senseless violence from claiming other lives right here in our communities.
One clear lesson of this weekend’s verdict is that state and local laws and legal standards can make the difference between life and death, and between justice and injustice.
New York has taken sensible action to keep firearms out of the wrong hands, including banning assault weapons, limiting high-capacity ammunition clips, and establishing truly universal background checks. It is not acceptable for leaders in Westchester to oppose these common-sense gun safety measures, nor is it acceptable to leave our families’ safety to Congress, which has proven incapable of standing up to the gun lobby.
Good laws cannot prevent every act of gun violence, but they can make a positive difference. And to not even try would be a grave dereliction of duty.
— Noam