Pols call for new gun laws following mass shootings
BY BILL PARRY
The presumptive nominee
for Queens district attorney
called the mass shootings in
El Paso, Texas, and Dayton,
Ohio, that killed 29 people in
less than 24 hours this past
weekend “heart-wrenching.”
Queens Borough President
Melinda Katz, who declared
victory over Tiffany Cabán in
the race after the city Board of
Elections certified her as the
winner on July 29, said her
thoughts are with the victims
and their loved ones and she is
grateful to the first responders
whose bravery saved lives in
both cities.
“Mass shooting like these
are sadly not new to us, and we
need to reckon not just with
the epidemic of mass shootings
and gun violence in America,
but its causes,” Katz said on
Aug. 4. “We cannot continue to
turn a blind eye to the racism
and white supremacy that lead
to domestic terrorism attacks
like yesterday’s in El Paso.
We cannot continue to pretend
that access to weapons of war
does to enable massacres like
yesterday’s in Dayton.”
Katz edged Cabán by just
60 votes that was determined
by a recount last month after
she performed solidly in
Queens Borough President Melinda Katz, who may be the borough’s next district attorney, calls on
the federal government to pass reasonable gun control measures after two mass shootings over the
weekend. Photo by Jenna Bagcal/QNS
southeast Queens, where she
has worked hard to reduce
gun violence in the most
vulnerable neighborhoods in
the borough, collaborating
with organizations such as the
Kings of Kings Foundation in
Far Rockaway and LIFE Camp
in Jamaica.
“We cannot forget that the
lack of reasonable gun control
legislation in America puts
Queens families in harm’s way
every single day,” Katz said.
“From finally passing HR8
to passing a ban on assault
weapons to implementing
‘Cure Violence’ programs in
partnership with community
groups throughout Queens
to investing in mental health
programs citywide to using the
full power of the law to prevent
hate crimes, we must do more
to protect our communities
from gun violence.”
Governor Andrew Cuomo,
who passed sweeping gun
control legislation in the
aftermath of the Sandy Hook
massacre in 2013 and signed
several new gun control
measure into law just last week,
said the country is under attack
from within from the federal
government’s inaction.
“This insanity must stop
and it must stop now. Those who
are unwilling to do anything
about it are complicit,” Cuomo
fumed. “I am sick of excuses. I
don’t want to hear, ‘We can’t,’
because we know you can,
and you just ‘don’t.’ In New
York we are standing up for
sensible gun safety laws to
keep our families and children
safe and speaking out against
the bigotry and hateful
rhetoric fueling many of these
attacks. Washington must do
the same.”
President Donald Trump
addressed the nation from the
White House Monday morning
calling on Congress to pass
red flag laws to identify those
liable to commit such crimes.
He added that Washington
“must come together” in the
wake of the shootings to “get
strong background checks”
for gun users.
State Senator Michael
Gianaris of Astoria did just
that last week when his 30-day
background check waiting
period was enacted last week
when the governor signed it
into law.
Read more at QNS.com.
Bill combats gender-based violence against women
BY JENNA BAGCAL
Women across the globe
experience gender-based
violence in the face of wars,
displacement and natural
disasters. But one Queens
lawmaker wants to combat
these instances of violence
with a new bipartisan bill.
Congresswoman Grace
Meng recently introduced the
Safe from the Start Act, which
would codify the United States
Agency for International
Development’s (USAID) Safe
from the Start Initiative. The
program works to improve
American involvement
to prevent, mitigate and
respond to gender-based
violence from the onset of
humanitarian emergencies.
“Gender-based violence
threatens the lives of women
and girls around the world
– particularly those who
are already vulnerable due
to displacement from war,
famine or natural disaster,”
said Meng. “Today, as we
are witness to the largest
flow of refugees in recorded
history, protecting women
and girls from gender-based
violence must be a priority
that is integrated fully
into the U.S. government’s
humanitarian response.”
According to a research
study, gender-based violence
against women increases in
refugee settings or during
other humanitarian crises.
The study found that one in five
of these women experienced
sexual violence, though
numbers may be higher due to
the complexities of disclosing
such incidents.
“My legislation would help
ensure that happens, and it
would be a critical tool in
improving prevention and
mitigation efforts as well. We
must do all we can to save
lives and protect women and
girls from these despicable
and brutal acts of abuse
and violence. I am grateful
to introduce the Safe from
the Start Act alongside my
Meng introduced the Safe Start Act to fight gender-based violence
against women Photo courtesy of Congresswoman Grace Meng’s offi ce
bipartisan colleagues, and I
urge all my colleagues in the
House to support this bill,”
Meng said.
Meng introduced
the bipartisan bill with
Republican representatives
Chris Steward and Mario-
Diaz Balart and with fellow
Democrats Lois Frankel and
Chrissy Houlahan.
The Safe from the Start
Act would require the
secretary of state and the
USAID administrator to
submit a report to Congress
detailing the progress
made with preventing,
mitigating and addressing
gender-based violence.
We applaud the
introduction of the Safe from
the Start Act of 2019 under
the bipartisan leadership
of Representatives Grace
Meng, Mario Diaz-Balart,
Chris Stewart, Lois Frankel
and Chrissy Houlahan,” said
Abby Maxman, president of
Oxfam America. “This bill not
only seeks to protect women
by focusing on prevention,
monitoring and accountability,
but it also acknowledges
the power that they have by
working to promote women’s
leadership and empowerment,
and by highlighting the
need to coordinate with
women-led organizations.”
The bill has been referred
to the Committee on Foreign
Affairs where it is awaiting
further action.
Read more at QNS.com.
Reach reporter Jenna
Bagcal by email at jbagcal@
qns.com or by phone at
(718) 260-2583.
TIMESLEDGER,4 AUG. 9-15, 2019 QNS.COM
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