Local Leaders Deride NRA Proposal

Rep.  D-Huntington, blasted NRA's Wayne LaPierre's comments that American schools should have an armed police officer at every school in the land.

He described LaPierre's statements as “tragically out of touch."

Elected officials and community leaders weighed in. 

"It's absolutely ridiculous," said D-Woodbury, of the NRA's proposal. "We can't turn schools into armed camps. What would we do, have one gunman opposing another and getting kids caught in the middle?"

"We do not need an arms race in our schools," Israel said. "We need common-sense initiatives like limits on high-capacity assault magazines and closing the gun show loophole. It's time for common ground, not more guns on school playgrounds.”

"Why don't we just have cops at every movie theater now too?" said Nassau PBA President James Carver. "And maybe at every post office? And every place else where there's been mass killings?"

Carver described LaPierre's ideas as "ludicrous."

"Kids – especially grammar school kids – shouldn't have to walk into a school with police set up there [with] the fear that there's something bound to happen," Carver said.

Port Washington School Superintendent Dr. Kathleen Mooney could not be reached for comment. But since the Newtown tragedy, she told Patch that officials were assessing and re-evaluating security procedures.

Jacobs said funding must be in place to address deranged individuals before they have a chance to murder and maim innocents.

On the floor of the Nassau County Legislature this week Jacobs criticized Nassau County's proposed 2013 budget for slashing mental health program funding by nearly 50 percent from 2012 levels.

"We, unfortunately, do not have powers to enforce stricter gun laws on the county level, but we certainly have the power to provide mental health programs in the county and, thereby, serve as a model for the state and federal governments," Jacobs said.

Matthew Hogan contributed to this report.