The Remarks Of Speaker Sheldon Silver

New Yorkers Against Gun Violence

Empire State Plaza, Well Of The LOB, Albany, NY
Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Jackie Kuhls. Doctor Tepperman. Members of REACTION. Ladies and Gentlemen.

Allow me to introduce a few members of the Assembly Majority who are present and who passionately support the work that you are doing.

Here with us right now are Assembly Members Michelle Schimel, Amy Paulin, Jeff Aubrey, Chuck Lavine, Deborah Glick, Annette Robinson, Andrew Hevesi, and Helene Weinstein

We are a nation in mourning.

As we watch each victim of the Virginia Tech massacre laid to rest, we question our values, we wrestle with the gnawing sense of helplessness, and we wonder why it has to be this way.

As the story unfolds, I realize how fortunate I am never to have lost a son, a daughter or a grandchild to the swift and random hand of gun violence.

Many of you here this morning, I know, have not been as fortunate.

To Gisella Marin, David Pacheco, Sr., Taiesha and Jose Cintron, Diana Rodriguez and Edwin Guzman, and to each and every one of you here who has lost a loved one to gun violence, my heart and the hearts of my Assembly colleagues go out to you.

There is an expectation here in the "Land of the Free," that children should "outlive" their parents. Then, a bullet takes away a Jessica Santos, a David Pacheco, Jr., a Naiesha Pearson and a Samantha Guzman early in life.

Although I cannot imagine your pain, I sense that there must be an anger, a rage, at having been cheated; robbed of something irreplaceable and precious beyond explanation.

In truth, you and your families have been violated and worse, your tragedies were preventable.

That you are here this morning to advocate for simple, common-sense measures intended to curb gun crime so that no parent has to endure what you are enduring, is human nature at its finest.

In our eyes, you are heroes. That said, we also recognize that you did not come here to be patted on the back. So, let me assure you that the Assembly Majority is ready to take action.

This afternoon, we will once again take up and we will once again pass our nine-bill package of legislation aimed at protecting citizens from the nightmare of gun violence.

We are here to urge New Yorkers to stand together and in one voice to say, NO MORE!

It is time for us to stand united in the recognition that stopping gun violence is a matter of life and death!

Yes, let us as a state punish gun violence severely, but let us also strive to prevent gun violence. Let us prevent the shooting and the murder of innocent men, women and children with equal vigor and with equal dedication.

Now is the time for this State to open both eyes, to see the bigger picture, and to do everything in our power to stop the senseless killing.

• Keeping guns out of the hands of children;
• Keeping weapons away from convicted felons;
• Banning the sale of 50-caliber and higher caliber weapons;
• Criminalizing the possession of armor-piercing bullets;
• Doing a better job of tracking gun sales;
• Establishing a ballistic identification database;
• Ensuring that the victims of domestic violence will not become the victims of gun violence;

To those who oppose these measures, I implore you to come here to the Well of the Legislative Office Building. Meet these parents. Hear their stories. Feel their pain. Witness their dedication. And if you still doubt, come and talk to "REACTION," these bright, young students from Brooklyn's High School of Public Service who are here to speak for the future.

Please, let us not lose another young life to gun violence. Let it not require a Virginia-Tech massacre in this State to spur us into action.

Gun violence is a matter of life and death. Together, let us choose life.

New Yorkers Against Gun Violence, thank you for being here. Thank you for continuing to fight the good fight for all of us.

I know you won't give up. I assure you, neither will we.

Make the most of your day in Albany, and thank you for listening.