Cyrus R. Vance, Jr.
The events in Las Vegas are beyond tragic or reason. All New Yorkers wish the people of Nevada, the families of the victims, and the survivors strength and resolve in the difficult days to come.
In the aftermath of yet another mass killing, pressing questions are confronting our country: Will we continue to allow the sale and proliferation of automatic, military-style weapons capable of shooting a fusillade of bullets into a crowd in seconds?
Will we allow the lawmakers in Washington who represent our interests to chip away at the progress we have made by removing protections designed to keep firearms out of the hands of the mentally ill and domestic violence abusers? Will we allow them to pass life-threatening legislation, like the SHARE Act – which enables dangerous people to easily purchase silencers – and the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, which would legalize the possession of concealed and loaded guns across all state lines?
If the answer to any of those questions is ‘no,’ then it is time for reasonable people to come together and take back our country from the gun lobby.
New York County (Manhattan) District Attorney Vance is the co-chair of Prosecutors Against Gun Violence.
