FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.queenscourier.com JANUARY 17, 2013 • THE QUEENS COURIER31 oped HALL OF SHAME in the fi ghtEssential steps Springfi eld Blvd. against gun& 215th Place violence BY STATE SENATOR JOSE PERALTA As the sponsor of 14 gun bills, I couldn’t be happier to see long overdue action fi nally taken on common-sense measures to protect New Yorkers from gun violence. From revoking the gun per- mits and confi scating the fi re- arms of domestic abusers and the mentally ill, to requiring back- ground checks and law enforce- ment oversight for private gun sales and ammunition purchases, to requiring periodic statewide recertifi cation of gun licenses, Incidents of graffi ti have risen. The Courier invites you, our readers, to submit photos of vandalism a good deal of the legislation I — or addresses where you see graffi ti — for our “Hall of Shame.” have sponsored and fought for is in this package. Conversely, if a home or business has “cleaned up their act,” submit them for induction into our “Hall in Rochester, strengthening New York’s assault weapons banAfter what we saw happen in Newtown, Connecticut, and of Fame.” became an urgent and pressing priority. And we are adopt- Send all high resolution JPG images (300 DPI) to editorial@queenscourier.com with a location and a ing perhaps the toughest assault weapons ban in the country. contact number. Otherwise, contact us at 38-15 Bell Boulevard, Bayside, NY 11361. I applaud the governor for his perseverance and commit- Help us take our borough back from the vandals! ment. Above all, I want to thank him for his leadership. Making it harder for criminals to get guns, and keeping fi re- arms out of the hands of the mentally ill, are essential steps in street talk BY MELISSA CHAN & MAGGIE HAYES the fi ght against gun violence.We also need to make it easier for law enforcement to put With the governor calling it a public health crisis, inexpensive technology that stamps a code—invisible to theThat’s why we need to require microstamping, a simple,gun criminals in jail by making use of available technology. did you get a fl u shot? The microstamps on recovered shell casings give law enforce-naked eye—on the shell casings ejected when a gun is fi red. ment the ability to identify a gun used in a crime and deter- mine where and when it was purchased and who bought it. No, but I will get one. Not surprisingly, my bill requiring that handguns made or No. But, to be honest, It’s crazy this year. I have sold in New York be equipped with microstamping technol- I should get one. I just to fi nd someone to watch ogy has the support of police and prosecutors throughout don’t like needles. my kids so I can go get the state. Geovanny Nolasco one. And there’s absolutely no logical, coherent reason for not Angela Hernandez requiring microstamping in New York—or at least not one that has been articulated yet. We’re told that requiring microstamping would put our state’s gun manufacturers out of business. Yet one of the Yes, because I work in reasons we needed to toughen New York’s assault weapons No, I don’t like shots. a hospital and always end ban is because many high-powered rifl es now in production Karen Skala up getting one. are exempt from the current ban. Michael Caponsacco Why? Because manufacturers altered their products to circumvent the law. So ignoring the law is profi table, but complying with a microstamping requirement would be bad for business? That’s a business model that has no business in New York. In addition to making it harder for criminals to get guns, we No, because I don’t need to make it easier for law enforcement to put gun crimi-Yes, I did. I got it ahead have health insurance. of time in September. nals in jail. Longer jail sentences won’t make a difference Michael Mandel if we’re not catching the people who need to be locked up.Linda Leshnick And please: Let’s not waste any more time on the nonsense that a microscopic code on a shell casing constitutes an assault on the Second Amendment rights of sportsmen and law-abiding gun owners. New Yorkers deserve better than that. Especially those Yes, I got my fl u shot. Yes, I get them from my waiting on justice for a loved one lost to gun violence. At my age, it’s important. doctor every year. I could conk out. Rhys Ritter Senator Jose Peralta serves on the Crime Victims, Crime Sue Parks and Correction Committee. He represents the communities of Elmhurst, East Elmhurst, Corona, Jackson Heights and Astoria.
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