Op-Ed: New York Must Lead the Way on Gun Control

James Gennaro is a city councilman from Queens. His district covers a small portion of Forest Hills.

Protecting our most valuable resource – our children – is any society’s most sacred duty. However, it’s a mission that too often we as Americans fail to accomplish. And that failure, whether it’s in a supermarket parking lot in Tuscon or a classroom in Newtown, is a continuing tragedy that should offend all of us and shame us into immediate action. 

For too long, we have sat aside and done nothing.

That is, until now. With the passage of Governor Cuomo’s NY SAFE Act, New Yorkers today have in place the toughest gun control legislation in the country that will help keep the most dangerous weapons and high-capacity magazines off of our streets, away from our shopping centers and out of our schools. 

But the scourge of gun violence doesn’t end at our state’s borders. 

That is why I introduced a Resolution, passed overwhelmingly by my City Council colleagues, that calls on other States to follow New York’s path towards sensible, common sense gun legislation. I thank Council Speaker Christine Quinn for co-sponsoring this resolution and for her leadership in moving this resolution through the Council.

While I stand with President Barack Obama’s call in his State of the Union address for an up-or-down vote on responsible federal legislation, I believe we cannot afford to wait for the Republican-controlled House to act to get weapons of war and high-capacity ammunition magazines off our streets. 

We in New York City, with our state lines just a bridge, tunnel or short drive away, have a compelling interest in seeing our tough gun laws mirrored in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and beyond. 

Polls have consistently shown that a majority of Americans – many of them gun owners – are on our side. And though the gun lobby is strong, I believe we are stronger. 

New York has cast its lot with protecting our kids. Now it is time for the rest of the nation to act.