Friend,
This weekend our state experienced a horrible tragedy when a gunman entered a grocery store in Buffalo and senselessly murdered 10 and wounded 3 innocent people.
Make no mistake about it, hate has a home in America that is growing in number and armed to the teeth.
The time to shut it out is long overdue.
Our Empire State must have one clear message for those who peddle hate, those who profit from illegal guns and those who commit acts of terror rooted in White Supremacy:
they have no place in New York. They will find no safe harbor and no sanctuary.
This weekend, it was at a grocery store in Buffalo. A visit is so common for many New York families like mine. One young 8-year-old girl ran from the shots and hid in a cooler to stay safe from the gunfire. It's too tragic, yet too common.
As angry as we can be at the gunman, he wasn't born hateful. He was radicalized and taught to hate, and his hate was armed to the teeth. The families of Buffalo are victims of an ideology of hate and a conspiracy of supremacy that has permeated a faction of our country.
We can’t ignore it, sweep it under the rug or look away from it.
When white supremacy and hate blends with weapons of war, people in our communities become the victims and the casualties. There are powerful people who profit by selling these types of weapons to these types of people. They spread their money throughout our politics and have a tight grip on power.
This gunman was already known to be a risk, but could still find his weapon and illegally modify it to make it even more deadly. All the while, the gun dealers cash their checks and make their donations.
We have to reform our gun laws with universal background checks across the nation, investments to get illegal guns off the street, and reforms to stop ghost guns from being made in basements. I've always been a staunch supporter of stronger gun laws, I never backed down from the NRA and gun lobbyists in Congress and I won't ever back down as Lt. Governor either.
In this time of need, let's surround our Buffalo community with an abundance of love and support. And I promise to do my part to prevent another senseless American tragedy.
With love and compassion,
Antonio
