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Gun Control

Politics
New Poll Reveals Long Islanders' Preference In Closely Watched Congressional Races New Poll Reveals Long Islanders' Preference In Closely Watched Congressional Races
New Poll Reveals Long Islanders' Preference In Closely Watched Congressional Races Fresh polling appears to show a political divide between two closely watched congressional races on Long Island. Democrat Laura Gillen leads incumbent Republican Rep. Anthony D’Esposito by 12 percentage points, 53 to 41 percent, among likely voters in New York’s 4th District, according to a Siena College/Newsday poll released Tuesday, Oct. 22 D’Esposito has represented the 4th District, which includes central and southern Nassau County, since 2023. The race was considered a tossup by The Cook Political Report. Earlier Report: Competitive Long Island, Hudson Valley Races Seen As Key …

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by Michael Mashburn
Police & Fire
Student Caught With Loaded Gun At High School In Suffolk County Student Caught With Loaded Gun At High School In Suffolk County
Student Caught With Loaded Gun At High School In Suffolk County A teenager was apprehended after authorities say he brought a gun to his school on Long Island. The 14-year-old at William Floyd High School in Mastic Beach was being interviewed by a school administrator on an unrelated matter when the student was found to have a loaded gun.  School officials contacted police early Friday afternoon, Oct. 18. The student, who is not being identified due to his age, was charged by Suffolk County PD Seventh Squad detectives with: Criminal possession of a weapon, Criminal possession of a weapon on school grounds. The boy was held overnight at…

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by Joe Lombardi
Police & Fire
NY County Training Armed Residents To Be 'Special Deputy Sheriffs': Here's Where, Why NY County Training Armed Residents To Be 'Special Deputy Sheriffs': Here's Where, Why
NY County Training Armed Residents To Be 'Special Deputy Sheriffs': Here's Where, Why A New York county is training armed residents who could be deputized during emergencies and natural disasters. With the state's second-largest police force of 2,600 sworn officers, Nassau County posted a notice in March in local newspapers and other news outlets for a team of provisional emergency special deputy sheriffs "for the protection of human life and property during an emergency," said County Executive Bruce Blakeman in coordination with Nassau County Sheriff Anthony LaRocco. In the advertisement, Blakeman said the "special deputies" will have no police powers unless …

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by Kathy Reakes
Politics
‘Sad Day’: SCOTUS Bump Stock Ruling Sparks Bipartisan Condemnation From NY Politicians ‘Sad Day’: SCOTUS Bump Stock Ruling Sparks Bipartisan Condemnation From NY Politicians
‘Sad Day’: SCOTUS Bump Stock Ruling Sparks Bipartisan Condemnation From NY Politicians New York politicians wasted no time reacting to the Supreme Court’s decision striking down a federal ban on bump stocks, which allow semiautomatic rifles to fire more quickly. In their 6-3 ruling Friday, June 14, with conservatives in the majority, the high court sided with a Texas gun store owner who surrendered his bump stocks after the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) reclassified the devices as machine guns in 2018. He later sued to get them back. The ATF’s regulation, issued under the Trump administration with his full support, came about after the 2017 Las Veg…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Pharmacist Caught With 41 Illegal Weapons At Long Island Home: DA Pharmacist Caught With 41 Illegal Weapons At Long Island Home: DA
Pharmacist Caught With 41 Illegal Weapons At Long Island Home: DA A Long Island pharmacy owner called the cops to report a burglary. He soon ended up the subject of an indictment of his own. Thirty-eight-year-old Ilya Ostrovskiy, a Hewlett resident, faced a whopping 122-count indictment on Wednesday, Dec. 6 for his alleged possession of over 40 illegal weapons, the Nassau County District Attorney announced. Earlier Report - Man Found Housing Over 30 Guns Following Alleged Hewlett Burglary Incident: Police Ostrovskiy, who owns two pharmacies in Brooklyn, originally contacted Nassau County Police on Friday, July 14 to report a burglary occurring a…

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by Sophie Grieser
News
Ex-Con Commuted By Cuomo Murders 27-Year-Old NY Man, DA Says Ex-Con Commuted By Cuomo Murders 27-Year-Old NY Man, DA Says
Ex-Con Commuted By Cuomo Murders 27-Year-Old NY Man, DA Says An anti-violence activist who once spent decades in prison before he was granted early release by former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is now accused of killing a 27-year-old man. Dontie Mitchell, age 43, of Albany, was indicted on murder and related charges by an Albany County grand jury on Friday, Aug. 18, in the death of Shieer Leggett. According to the Albany County District Attorney’s Office, Mitchell, either alone or with others, shot Leggett to death in Cohoes, near Main and Schuyler streets, on Friday, Aug. 11. Mitchell is also accused of having an illegal handgun at the time of the m…

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by Michael Mashburn
Politics
‘Stop The Bloodshed’: Louisville Shooting Could’ve Been Prevented By Red Flag Law, Hochul Says ‘Stop The Bloodshed’: Louisville Shooting Could’ve Been Prevented By Red Flag Law, Hochul Says
‘Stop The Bloodshed’: Louisville Shooting Could’ve Been Prevented By Red Flag Law, Hochul Says Recent mass shootings that killed six people at an elementary school in Tennessee and five more at a bank in Kentucky might not have occurred had those states implemented so-called “red flag” laws like New York, according to Gov. Kathy Hochul. In an op-ed written for USA Today Network and shared on the governor's website, Hochul touted the measures, which allow a court to issue an extreme risk protection order (ERPO) that temporarily prohibits someone from buying or possessing a gun should they be deemed a danger to themselves or others. Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the state’s ERPO in…

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by Michael Mashburn
Schools
Decade After Sandy Hook Shooting, New Tech Giving CT School Added ‘Layer Of Security' Decade After Sandy Hook Shooting, New Tech Giving CT School Added ‘Layer Of Security'
Decade After Sandy Hook Shooting, New Tech Giving CT School Added ‘Layer Of Security' Gun control advocates will tell you that not much has changed since a 20-year-old gunman walked into a Connecticut elementary school and murdered 20 students and six staff members at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown on Dec. 14, 2012. Since that day, another 279 people have died in 189 different shootings that have occurred at schools across the United States, BBC News reports. Among them are the 19 students and two teachers who were killed at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, in May 2022. What has changed, though, is the technology that’s available to schools to help keep students a…

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by Michael Mashburn
Politics
New Poll Reveals Who NYers Favor In Governor's Race Based On Inflation, Crime, Abortion New Poll Reveals Who NYers Favor In Governor's Race Based On Inflation, Crime, Abortion
New Poll Reveals Who NYers Favor In Governor's Race Based On Inflation, Crime, Abortion As Election Day draws nearer, new polling is highlighting the issues that are top of mind for New York voters when choosing their next governor. Overall, incumbent Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul leads her Republican opponent, Rep. Lee Zeldin, by six points, 47 to 41 percent, according to a SurveyUSA poll released Thursday, Oct. 20. Earlier Report: Zeldin Holds Edge Over Hochul In NY's Suburbs, Among Independents In Brand-New Poll Four percent of likely voters said they plan to vote for another candidate, while 8 percent were undecided. Hochul’s lead has shrunk dramatically from August …

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by Michael Mashburn
Politics
Hudson Valley County Exec's Congressional Special Election Win Cited Nationally As Bellwether Hudson Valley County Exec's Congressional Special Election Win Cited Nationally As Bellwether
Hudson Valley County Exec's Congressional Special Election Win Cited Nationally As Bellwether Democrats received a major confidence boost heading into the November midterms after Pat Ryan won a special election for New York's open 19th House seat in a race that's considered a national bellwether. Ryan, the Ulster County executive, was leading Republican Marc Molinaro, the Dutchess County executive, with 51 percent of the vote when the Associated Press called the race just after midnight Wednesday, Aug. 24. The swing district, located in the Catskills and mid-Hudson Valley regions and which includes Ulster and Dutchess counties, was left vacant when Democrat Antonio Delgado became …

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by Michael Mashburn
Sports
Yankees, Other Pro Sports Teams Urge Fans To Take Action On Gun Law Reform After Mass Shootings Yankees, Other Pro Sports Teams Urge Fans To Take Action On Gun Law Reform After Mass Shootings
Yankees, Other Pro Sports Teams Urge Fans To Take Action On Gun Law Reform After Mass Shootings The game of baseball took a backseat for a pair of rival teams who took the opportunity to encourage gun control and legislative action after the recent mass shootings in Buffalo, Texas, and elsewhere in the US. Social media departments from the New York Yankees and AL East rival Tampa Bay Rays teamed up during their matchup on Thursday, May 26 to forego tweeting and messaging about their game, and instead used it to promote gun law reform. “In lieu of game coverage and in collaboration with the Tampa Bay Rays, we will be using our channels to offer facts about the impacts of gun violence,…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
'Ghost' Handguns, High-Capacity Magazines, Drugs Recovered By Suffolk County Sheriff In Bust 'Ghost' Handguns, High-Capacity Magazines, Drugs Recovered By Suffolk County Sheriff In Bust
'Ghost' Handguns, High-Capacity Magazines, Drugs Recovered By Suffolk County Sheriff In Bust A veritable cache of weapons, ammunition, and drugs were seized by law enforcement agents on Long Island who served an Extreme Risk Protection (ERPO) order, officials announced. Suffolk County Sheriff Sgt. Paul Spinella said that shortly before 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, May 4 in East Setauket, investigators executed the order, which led to a massive seizure of guns and drugs. The bust led to the arrest of East Setauket resident Robert Ludwig, age 26, who was in possession of multiple illegal weapons and drug paraphernalia. The seized weapons.Suffolk County Sheriff According to the Sher…

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by Zak Failla
News
ID Released For Detective Shot During Sting Operation In Westchester ID Released For Detective Shot During Sting Operation In Westchester
ID Released For Detective Shot During Sting Operation In Westchester A veteran police detective in Westchester is recovering from surgery after being shot during an FBI anti-gun task force sting operation. The Yonkers Police Department said that Det. Brian Menton, a 27-year-veteran of the force who was a week from retiring, was shot at approximately 2:15 p.m. on Wednesday, April 20 in a small grocery store near the intersection of Elm Street and Linden Street in the city. Earlier story - New Details Released After Officer Shot, Hospitalized In Yonkers At the time of the shooting, Menton, who was assigned to the Westchester County Safe Streets…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Long Island Man Arrested With Ghost Guns After Shooting Himself In Hand, Police Say Long Island Man Arrested With Ghost Guns After Shooting Himself In Hand, Police Say
Long Island Man Arrested With Ghost Guns After Shooting Himself In Hand, Police Say A Long Island man was arrested for allegedly possessing ghost guns and ammunition after shooting himself in the hand. The incident took place in Nassau County in Massapequa around 1:20 p.m., Saturday, April 2. Gerald Gilraine, age 21, of Massapequa, was arrested after officers responded to 25 Philips Road for a call of a self-inflicted gunshot wound and found him with a wound to his left hand, police said. A Nassau County Police ambulance transported Gilraine to a local hospital for treatment and evaluation, police said. After a thorough investigation detectives recovered two 3D printers,…

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by Kathy Reakes
News
Gun Manufacturer Settles With Sandy Hook Families For $73M, Marking Historic First Gun Manufacturer Settles With Sandy Hook Families For $73M, Marking Historic First
Gun Manufacturer Settles With Sandy Hook Families For $73M, Marking Historic First Families of five children and four adults killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting reached a historic $73 million settlement with gun manufacturer Remington, officials announced. Attorneys for the families who filed the suit against the now-bankrupt Remington and its four insurers, announced on Tuesday, Feb. 15 that they had reached the settlement, representing the first time a gun manufacturer has been held liable for a mass shooting in the US. As part of the settlement, lawyers for the families said that Remington agreed to release thousands of pages of internal company do…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
TSA Officers Stop Fairfield County Man From Carrying Handgun Onto Flight At LGA TSA Officers Stop Fairfield County Man From Carrying Handgun Onto Flight At LGA
TSA Officers Stop Fairfield County Man From Carrying Handgun Onto Flight At LGA Transportation Security Administration officers stopped a Fairfield County man from carrying a handgun onto his flight at LaGuardia Airport. The Darien man was detained on the morning of Monday, Jan. 10, after a TSA officer saw the .38 caliber handgun on the checkpoint X-ray machine's monitor, the TSA announced. TSA said the gun wasn't loaded. Port Authority Police responded to the checkpoint and brought the man in for questioning before they arrested him on weapons charges.  The man reportedly told authorities he didn't realize he had the gun with him. The man is also facing a fede…

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by Nicole Valinote
News
Deputy Mayor In Hudson Valley Nabbed With 16 Assault Weapons, Fake FBI IDs Deputy Mayor In Hudson Valley Nabbed With 16 Assault Weapons, Fake FBI IDs
Deputy Mayor In Hudson Valley Nabbed With 16 Assault Weapons, Fake FBI IDs A local government official in the Hudson Valley is facing multiple weapons charges after police say they discovered an arsenal of guns in his home. Airmont Deputy Mayor Brian Downey, age 47, was arrested on Friday, Sept. 3, after Rockland County authorities were alerted by the Department of Homeland Security that he had purchased an illegal rifle suppressor over the internet. During a search of his home by investigators from numerous departments, agents found 16 assault weapons and 13 silencers, along with a large stash of fake federal IDs, including FBI credentials, said the Rockland Cou…

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by Kathy Reakes
News
Surgeon Busted With Weapons Cache In Westchester Pleads Guilty Surgeon Busted With Weapons Cache In Westchester Pleads Guilty
Surgeon Busted With Weapons Cache In Westchester Pleads Guilty A Long Island surgeon who was busted with a cache of weapons in his BMW in Westchester will avoid prison time after reaching a plea agreement. Nassau County resident Matthew Bonanno, age 49, of Great Neck, pleaded guilty to second-degree criminal possession of a weapon for owning a 9mm pistol and was sentenced to five years of probation by acting state Supreme Court Justice Terence Murphy on Long Island. Bonanno had been charged in a 13-count indictment in Nassau County that alleged he illegally possessed five assault weapons and two pistols that authorities seized from his former Nort…

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by Zak Failla
News
Police Investigating If Road Rage Led To Fatal Shooting Of Yale University Graduate Student Police Investigating If Road Rage Led To Fatal Shooting Of Yale University Graduate Student
Police Investigating If Road Rage Led To Fatal Shooting Of Yale University Graduate Student A Yale University graduate student who was killed after being shot multiple times may have been targeted and police are investigating if the killing was an act of road rage. Kevin Jiang, age 26, who lived in West Haven, was shot to death on Lawrence Street between Nicoll Street and Nash Street Saturday, Feb. 6. During a press conference on Monday, Feb. 8, New Haven Police Chief Otoniel Reyes said Jiang was familiar with the neighborhood where he was killed, and that a vehicle was involved in the incident. He declined to offer additional details of the crime but did say detectives had …

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by Kathy Reakes
Schools
NY Schools First To Have 'Red Flag' Power On Guns: Here's What It Means NY Schools First To Have 'Red Flag' Power On Guns: Here's What It Means
NY Schools First To Have 'Red Flag' Power On Guns: Here's What It Means Another first for the Empire State. Schools statewide in New York began the academic year this month with a new tool to help prevent student suicides or violence. Approximately one-third of states have “red flag” laws, which allow courts to temporarily take weapons from people who may be a danger to themselves or others. Earlier this year, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed legislation to follow suit. Now, New York has become the first to implement legislation that will allow schools, as well as police and family members, to petition courts to remove firearms from potentially dangerous peop…

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by Zak Failla
Politics
Peter King Becomes First House Republican To Back Assault Weapons Ban Peter King Becomes First House Republican To Back Assault Weapons Ban
Peter King Becomes First House Republican To Back Assault Weapons Ban Long Island Congressman Peter King became the first Republican to back an assault weapons ban that was proposed by Democrats earlier this year. Rep. David Cicilline (D, Rhode Island) introduced the Assault Weapons Ban of 2019 in February, including 190 Democratic supporters, with even more joining the cause following the mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton. This week, King became the first Republican lawmaker to show his support for the legislation. He has previously shown his support for improving background checks before gun purchases, before the latest mass shootings. His public backin…

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by Zak Failla
Politics
Ocasio-Cortez, Gillibrand Slam NY Times Headline On Trump's White House Address On Racism Ocasio-Cortez, Gillibrand Slam NY Times Headline On Trump's White House Address On Racism
Ocasio-Cortez, Gillibrand Slam NY Times Headline On Trump's White House Address On Racism Freshman New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand among the cacophony of voices that forced the New York Times to alter a headline online from its print edition. Following the mass shootings in Dayton, Ohio and El Paso, Texas, which left 31 people dead, The Times' front-page headline on Tuesday, Aug. 6 read “Trump Urges Unity vs. Racism” after President Donald Trump’s address at the White House. Leading up to Trump's remarks on Monday, Aug. 5 in the Diplomatic Room of the White House, the president’s rhetoric in rallies and on Twitter was widely criticized…

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by Zak Failla
Politics
Cuomo Signs Bill Banning Teachers From Carrying Guns On School Grounds Cuomo Signs Bill Banning Teachers From Carrying Guns On School Grounds
Cuomo Signs Bill Banning Teachers From Carrying Guns On School Grounds There will be no armed teachers in New York State schools. Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed legislation this week that will bar teachers and other school employees from possessing guns on school grounds. The bill is designed to “limit an educational institution’s ability to authorize any person who is not primarily employed as a school resource officer, law enforcement officer or security guard to carry a firearm on school grounds.” The legislation also calls for New York State Police to establish regulations that would strengthen existing gun buyback programs and would create new programs for th…

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by Zak Failla
Politics
Vote Now: Who Won Second Democratic Presidential Debate? Vote Now: Who Won Second Democratic Presidential Debate?
Vote Now: Who Won Second Democratic Presidential Debate? It's a wrap. The second Democratic Party presidential debate is over and it's time to let us know who you think won. A record field of Democrats is competing to become the party's nominee in 2020. Both debates were broadcast live by NBC-TV, Telemundo and MSNBC. Ten candidates appeared on two consecutive nights. Former Vice President Joe Biden squared off against Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and seven other Democrats on Thursday night, June 27. Their exchanges got heated at times, especially when discussion shifted to private health insurance versus "Medicar…

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by Jon Craig
Politics
America's Mayor? Bill de Blasio's 'Confrontational Energy' In Debate Draws Nationwide Attention America's Mayor? Bill de Blasio's 'Confrontational Energy' In Debate Draws Nationwide Attention
America's Mayor? Bill de Blasio's 'Confrontational Energy' In Debate Draws Nationwide Attention While Mayor Bill de Blasio came across as a pushy New Yorker to some presidential debate-watchers on Wednesday night, other national media observers were wowed by the Democrat. Related story: Vote Now: Who Won First Democratic Presidential Debate? According to this article in the Miami Herald -- where back-to-back debates are taking place -- de Blasio "brought a surprisingly confrontational energy to the crowded debate stage." Meanwhile, a senior correspondent for Slate noted in this column that the mayor entered the first debate "riding almost impossibly low expectation…

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by Jon Craig
Politics
Vote Now: Who Won First Democratic Presidential Debate? Vote Now: Who Won First Democratic Presidential Debate?
Vote Now: Who Won First Democratic Presidential Debate? The gloves finally came off on Wednesday night -- and Americans got to learn more about 10 presidential candidates -- during the first Democratic Party debate. A record field of Democrats is competing to become the party's nominee in 2020. Debates are being held on two consecutive nights in Miami this week -- with a total of 20 candidates appearing during live broadcasts. Wednesday's debate covered a wide range of topics, from health care costs, corporate greed, tensions in the Middle East and climate change to immigration, gun control and equal rights -- with some answers delivered in Spani…

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by Jon Craig
Politics
NY May Require Gun Owners With Children To Lock Up Their Weapons NY May Require Gun Owners With Children To Lock Up Their Weapons
NY May Require Gun Owners With Children To Lock Up Their Weapons New York lawmakers may seek to become one of the few states that mandate that gun owners lock away their weapons from children. There have been 63 unintentional shootings by children statewide so far this year, according to Everytown for Gun Safety. There have been at least 1,104 child shootings since 2015, the organization notes. Last month, lawmakers passed a bill - which has not yet been signed into law - requiring gunners who live with children under the age of 16 to lock up their weapons when they are not in use. Those who failed to comply would face fines and misdemeanor charges. “It…

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by Zak Failla