MID-HUDSON – Area public officials on the federal, state and local levels have expressed their concerns about the mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton, Ohio.
The region’s senior House Member, Nita Lowey (D, NY-17) said, “Prayers from politicians can’t bring back the victims or heal the families in El Paso and Dayton. They deserve action and a commitment to bringing these mass killings to an end.” She said the “massacres aren’t happening in other industrialized nations around the world. I’m furious and outraged that the Senate, led by Republican Mitch McConnell, doesn’t find it necessary to bring common sense gun violence prevention legislation to the Senate floor to help end these senseless killings.”
Lowey also said racism and hate “are being fueled by the President. We cannot let our country continue to devolve into a hub of fear and hatred.”
McConnell morning said on Sunday he was “sickened” by the mass murders. “We stand with law enforcement as they continue working to keep Americans safe and bring justice.”
That was not enough for Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney (D, NY-18). He agreed with McConnell for the need to keep Americans safe, but added, “Step up and do your damn job.” He said “You can’t just keep tweeting about this, Leader McConnell. We passed gun safety legislation and you’re the one blocking it. If you don’t have enough backbone to step up and keep Americans safe, who do you even serve?”
Freshman House Member Antonio Delgado (D, NY-19) said Americans “continue to die from horrific gun violence and we can’t even get the Senate to hold a vote on H.R. 8, a bipartisan universal background checks bill.” He said universal background checks are supported by more than 90 percent of Americans. “While not a cure-all that would’ve stopped every shooting, it provides an urgently needed step towards improved gun safety amid the gun violence epidemic – a public health crisis – in the U.S.”
Not to come together and take “this basic step in the face of so much loss of life is to reveal that our system is morally bankrupt,” Delgado said.
Governor Andrew Cuomo said the nation is “under attack from within and continuing to ignore what is happening around us will only lead to more bloodshed and more tragedy – all of it preventable.” He called for “this insanity to stop and it must stop now.” He accused those unwilling to do anything about it of being complicit. “I am sick of the excuses.”
The governor said in New York, “We are standing up for sensible gun safety laws to keep our families and children safe and speaking out against the bigotry and hateful rhetoric fueling many of these attacks. Washington must do the same.”
Westchester County Executive George Latimer called the two shootings “not normal and this is not okay.” He called for an end to “this uniquely American epidemic.” The county executive also directly flags on county buildings and property to be lowered to half-staff in memory of those murdered in the two shootings.
