Letters

A total of 43,000 people in our country are killed every year by guns. New York Democrats successfully fought for sensible gun laws for decades. We have strong gun laws, rated A-minus by the Giffords Law Center To Prevent Gun Violence, and we export crime guns to other states at one of the lowest rates in the country.

Republicans would have you believe that Democrats are weak on crime. But the truth is that Republicans are weak on guns, which are very helpful when committing crimes — and they hope you won’t notice.

Criminals in New York seek guns from other states with weak gun laws, where illegal straw purchases, stolen guns and untraceable ghost guns flourish. The overwhelming majority of crime guns exported into New York come from six states with weak gun laws: Pennsylvania, Virginia, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida and North Carolina. Guns trafficked along Interstate 95 make New York’s crimes — robbery, burglary, murder, kidnapping, you name it — easier.

New York families suffer crime and death, made more possible by the loose and nonexistent gun laws in other states. More than 74 percent of crime guns recovered each year in New York State, and 93 percent of crime guns recovered in New York City, come from weak gun law states.

South Carolina, with a D-minus rating from Giffords, is the sixth-highest exporter of crime guns into other states, exporting 2.4 times the national average. Georgia, rated F by Giffords, is the seventh-highest exporter of crime guns, exporting twice as many as the national average.

New York taxpayers also suffer great financial loss because of crime made easier by easily available guns. Everytown for Gun Safety found the annual cost for New York State, for gun deaths and injuries, is $11.4 billion, and the national cost is a staggering $557 billion.

We are frustrated and robbed of our resources by the vast supply of untraceable guns from other states causing death and injury in New York.

Long Island crime and its costs are higher because of guns from weak gun law states. Nassau and Suffolk counties’ recent recoveries of crime guns were 9 percent of all New York recoveries, with a higher percentage of handguns (91 percent) and out-of-state recoveries (85 percent) than the state’s average.

Lee Zeldin and Nick LaLota never voted for gun safety laws.

Imagine if we had a member of Congress who voted for good gun laws. Want less crime, and more money for education, affordable housing, job training, higher minimum wages, better transportation, lower taxes? The billions we spend on gun crime could be used to support your family, life and community.

Democrats work to end gun violence.

Vote for John Avlon for Congress.

Jackie Hilly

Former Executive Director

New Yorkers Against Gun Violence

Secretary

Southampton Democratic Committee