It’s been three months since Donald Trump was shot by a gunman at his campaign rally – a stunning act of political violence that wounded him and killed another.
In response, our congressman, Anthony D’Esposito introduced legislation that would require all House members complete active shooter training.
As a principal of a NYC Public School since 2011 and as a responsible gun owner, I know what active shooter training is like.
I’ve overseen countless active shooter drills in my own school – regularly strategizing how to secure classrooms from potential threats, hide kids and teachers, and keep my students safe from individuals intent on doing harm. And I know from experience that, while these drills help us respond to shootings in the moment, they do nothing to address the root causes of gun violence.
If we’re going to keep New York communities safe – at political rallies, in our schools, and on street corners – we need representatives who will fight for commonsense measures to reduce gun violence.
So far, U.S. Rep D’Esposito has failed to deliver. In fact, his policies would make us less safe. That’s why groups like Brady have endorsed his opponent Laura Gillen.
Research shows that the most effective way to reduce gun violence is to keep guns out of the hands of those who shouldn’t have them. One of the best ways to do this is by requiring universal background checks for all firearm purchases, including private sales and at gun shows.
Cities that implemented universal background checks saw a 13% reduction in firearm homicides. And according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, 30% of guns connected to criminal trafficking are sold at gun shows, where background checks aren’t required for private sellers.
We also need to pass a nationwide extreme risk law, a highly-effective tool that allows for the temporary removal of firearms from individuals who are at risk of harming themselves or others.
A study in California found that these orders prevented 21 mass shootings from taking place between 2016 and 2018. In New York last year, 4,300 extreme risk protection orders were approved and at least 1,800 guns were temporarily removed by the state police and local law enforcement agencies, preventing countless tragedies. If D’Esposito really wanted to make New York communities safer, he would push for these bills in Congress.
We also need a representative committed to stopping gun crime. D’Esposito is a former New York police officer but since taking office, he has repeatedly voted to reduce resources to law enforcement.
In September 2023, he voted for a 30% cut to all federal public safety programs, which could have eliminated 500 local law enforcement jobs. In April 2023, he voted to cut $1 billion in grants for state, local, and tribal law enforcement, which would make it harder for our police departments to crack down on gun crime.
Finally, by endorsing former President Trump for re-election, D’Esposito is co-signing Trump’s promise to roll back our country’s gun safety laws.
We cannot forget that Trump oversaw the largest increase in murder in modern U.S. history, with guns tragically becoming the number one cause of death for children.
As President, Trump diverted education funding to put guns in classrooms – taking so many resources away from our already stretched-too-thin school budgets that the teachers unions were forced to sue.
And a second Trump term would be even worse. If re-elected, Trump has promised to repeal the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the first major gun violence prevention law in 30 years; eliminate the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention; reopen the unregulated market of unserialized “ghost guns;” end enhanced background checks for firearm purchasers under the age of 21; and slash funding for community-based programs that are proven effective to reduce gun violence.
And a key part of his Project 2025 agenda would be moving the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms from the Department of Justice to the Treasury Department, reversing President George W. Bush’s policy that allows the ATF to better coordinate with law enforcement. This change would make it more difficult to prosecute gun crimes and hold rogue gun dealers accountable.
I’m a permitted legal gun owner in New York City. But Trump’s agenda would increase gun crime and result in hidden and loaded guns in our parks, on our playgrounds, in schools and libraries, and on public transportation.
If D’Esposito really cared about reducing gun violence, he wouldn’t endorse these types of dangerous policies. It’s as simple as that.
At the end of the day, I understand why D’Esposito introduced his active shooter legislation.
In my school, we do these drills all the time – and I know that doing them can help prepare us in the event of a tragedy.
But if we’re going to keep our communities safe from gun violence, we need representatives who will prevent gun tragedies in the first place. That means cracking down on gun crime and fighting for common-sense measures that work.
And on this front, Rep. D’Esposito falls dangerously short.
Mark House
New York
