Council OKs resolution on gun violence

In unanimous vote, lawmakers call for state, federal action on illegal use of firearms

KINGSTON, N.Y. » City lawmakers unanimously adopted a memorializing resolution Tuesday calling on state and federal elected officials to take action to “eradicate the use of firearms in mass shootings and unlawful acts of violence.”

Members of the Common Council heard from 22 speakers before voting to adopt the resolution.

Prior to the vote, though, Alderman Tony Davis, D-Ward 6, asked for the resolution to be tabled for 30 days to allow further discussion and to gain public input. He was supported only by Alderman Patrick O’Reilly, a non-enrolled voter who represents Ward 7.

Davis and O’Reilly ultimately voted with the rest of the council after their move to table failed.

The resolution asks state and federal officials to expand current procedures for the registration, licensing and safe possession of firearms, as well as to enact laws to take firearms from individuals deemed to pose a threat to themselves or others. It also asks for more funding for school and other programs that increase empathy and community involvement.

The resolution also asks those elected officials to refuse campaign contributions from firearm ownership advocacy groups and return any such contributions they have received.

Among the speakers who addressed the council prior to its vote were seven local high school students. Each urged the council to adopt the resolution and take action to help safeguard their schools.

Marine Nimblette, 17, said gun violence was not a phrase she heard often during her childhood, but school shootings and other mass shooting events can-

not now be accepted as the norm.

“We seek change and that change has to start here in our own communities so that it can reach national levels,” Nimblette said. “The actions that we

take now affect the future of our younger generations.” She said adopting the resolution was a step forward to a better future and was a show of unity.

Aleca Pardo, 16, said she does not want to live in a society in which she is afraid to go to school. She said she is also tired of politicians saying the students are uneducated on

the topic of gun violence or should shut their mouths and wait for change.

“But we’ve been waiting for change for awhile now,” Pardo said. She said, though, that despite being scared and angry, she is hopeful change will happen now.

A few speakers accused aldermen of grandstanding and exploiting the situation.

Others said they feared the resolution would alienate responsible gun owners and they urged aldermen to reach out to people who have knowledge of firearms and firearm training to get their input. One urged the council to table the resolution until public input was received.

Ken Cooper said he is a director of a law enforcement

training academy and has taught criminal justice, among other experience with firearms. He said people like him who have knowledge should be consulted because they can be a resource.

“We’re all in the same boat here, but I’m an educator,” Cooper said. “I have knowledge about this subject. And I ask you not to

alienate gun owners and not to have a divide.”

Majority Leader Reynolds Scott-Childress, DWard 3, said he was willing to have further discussions about the issue, but felt time was of the essence to adopt the resolution. He said the resolution, which he authored, would start action on gun violence, not just conversations.