“The County Executive is Right.

We have a choice.

Democrats and Republicans can either find common ground or deal with another killing ground.” – Marianne Buttenschon

In his State of the County Address, County Executive Anthony Picente angrily spoke about “the deplorable and disgustingly tragic” massacre of students in Parkland, Florida.

“On this and so many other issues, Washington is broken, maybe irrevocably so.” The County Executive said that he had “zero confidence” that our representatives at the federal level would effectively handle issues related to school violence. But, he noted, responsibility did not lie in Washington alone.

“We need our elected leaders in Albany to stop trying to keep their jobs and start doing their jobs, ”the County Executive stated. “(We) can’t talk past each other or demonize one another when we disagree….” It does not have to be this way. Our state legislature can and has already begun facing the issues our national legislature has not.

Earlier this month both the New York State Senate and New York State Assembly passed important ideas that, though they have not yet become law, form a foundation for change. Every bill, regardless of its source or sponsor, protects students in schools and on campuses without infringing on individual liberties.

Between the two houses, over a dozen bills were passed- all with overwhelming bi-partisan support. Conservative Republicans and liberal Democrats from Long Island to Niagara Falls- including many of our own Senators and Assembly members- agreed to programs designed to keep our children and our classrooms safe.

It is a paradox of democracy that brave action often requires deliberation and compromise.

We need the Senate and Assembly to seek and seize middle ground on school and campus violence. We need our senators and assembly members to find common ground or risk another killing ground.

I am asking that Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie meet and agree that at least some of the thirteen bills their respective houses overwhelmingly passed in the wake of Parkland see the light of day this session and become law by the first day of summer.

Taken together, these bills will:

• Keep guns out of the hands of those known to pose a serious risk to others.
• Ensure reasonable background checks.
• Keep those convicted of domestic violence from purchasing or possessing a firearm.
• Make certain that out of state residents with homes in New York make their mental health records available when making a New York State firearms application.
• Provide for a stronger and better funded system of school resource officers or other security models.
• Strengthen school security through funding of new technology and hardware.
• Streamline administrative and funding processes related to school violence protection programs.
• Improve mental health services and resources in schools.
• Require that two of the four annual “lock-down” drills be held as “active shooter” drills.
• Increase penalties for those threatening violence against schools and college campuses.
• Increase penalties for assaults and abductions originating on school grounds, nursery school grounds or college campuses.

It does not seem possible that Columbine happened in the last century and Texas Tech over a decade ago. Parkland was just last month and, only a few days ago, an armed and fully qualified school resource officer stopped a massacre in Maryland.

It is a paradox that, in a democracy, bold aggressive action is often the result of deliberation and compromise. Both houses of the state legislature have deliberated on the issue of school violence. Now I am asking that the State Senate and Assembly act with courage and wisdom by finding common ground on their separate but equally worthy school violence initiatives.