Web Essay: What about public safety as the prize?

NY Assemblyman Bill Nojay’s “guns for funds” event last Saturday suggests disturbing attitudes toward gun violence, raising serious questions over his role as an elected official, particularly given his characterization of his district: “17 gun clubs.”

Did Nojay’s gun prizes come with gun-safety information, safety storage locks and support for responsible gun ownership through the passage of Nicholas’ Law, A8293? Will Nojay be addressing: youth gun suicide, youth gun slaughter and youth gun “accidents” resulting from unsafe gun storage practices, in homes where children discover loaded accessible guns, while playing with friends?

Livingston, Monroe and Steuben counties have at least 150 schools, with thousands of children in attendance, a far more substantial and vulnerable population to the terrors of gun violence than Nojay’s 17 gun clubs needing another clay shoot experience.

What is Nojay’s plan to address gun violence in upstate New York? How about teen suicides, youth gun violence, and preventable child-gun tragedies resulting from reckless gun storage in upstate New York homes where children play? Will Nojay be promoting the Brady ASK (Asking Saves Kids) Campaign in an effort to educate parents to ASK, “is there a loaded, unlocked gun where my child plays?”

Addressing gun terror in America, and preventing it from devouring our children requires good conscience, ethical representation, responsible leadership and integrity to the oath of office. Did Nojay be informing his gun raffle participants, and his district that:

* a gun in the home is 22 times more likely to be used in a suicide, homicide or tragic accident than used for self defense;

* a gun in the home increases the risk of being killed by a firearm by 72 percent;

* a gun in the home of an abused woman increases the risk six times that she will be murdered;

* the leading cause of death for African-American children is gun violence;

- the second leading cause of death for all children is gun violence.

What is Nojay doing to address this?

Instead of making it all about the guns, how about making it all about public safety, in defense of our children from gun terror, Bill?

Kathleen Richarson is a Pittsford resident.