PRESS RELEASE                                                           Contact: Andy Pelosi 212-674-3710

(New York, NY) New Yorkers Against Gun Violence sends their deep sympathy to the town of Lynbrook and those affected by the tragic shooting of Rev. Lawrence Penzes and parishioner Eileen Tosner during a mass yesterday in Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church. Although the facts of the case are not yet clear and it is uncertain how the shooter obtained the rifle, it is clear that he was a person who should not have had a firearm. He appears to have a history of serious mental problems.

Tragedies continue to happen because guns fall into the wrong hands. While we can never prevent all such tragedies, we can do far more in this state to keep guns out of the wrong hands. First, New York State should have a law that requires safe storage of firearms. Such a law would help families and others keep their firearms safely out of the hands of those who should not have them, such as children, people suffering from depression and severe emotional problems and criminals who steal unlocked firearms. Second, adequate background checks should be completed on buyers each time any type of firearm is purchased, including checks of state mental health records. New York State has strong firearm laws but still does not require background checks on purchasers who buy a rifle, shotgun or assault weapon in a private sale from an individual, at a flea market or from a newspaper or computer ad. There should be background checks on all sales of any firearm.

There have even been cases where someone is denied a hunting license but is still able to purchase and own a hunting rifle because no background checks are made. Al Frey, one of our members, lost his brother Police Officer Michael Frey in 1996 to a disturbed individual in Westchester who possessed rifles even though he was denied a hunting license. Al was very upset to hear of the Lynbrook shooting and said," Another senseless shooting where if we had better legislation to check on people who are purchasing firearms, two people might still be alive. Not everyone should have access to guns." We have more work to do to try to prevent tragedies such as these shootings in Lynbrook by making sure there are background checks on all sales of firearms.

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