Gun Threat Causes Lockdown In Eastchester
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- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
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Guns continued to be in the news this week when a report surfaced that there was an armed man on the White Plains Post Road. This caused all Eastchester Schools to be locked down on Wednesday afternoon. Though it turned out that there was a miscommunication and the man had no gun and was in Rye Brook, not Eastchester, the threat wreaked havoc and frightened the surrondeing communities.
Statistics show that guns pose a significant risk to the population. Here are just a few to consider:
- On average, 88 Americans are killed by gun violence each day.
- More than half of women killed by their intimate partner in the US are killed with gun.
- The risk of homicide for women in a gun-owning household is three times more likely than in homes without guns.
- People with guns at home are twice as likely to die by homicide than people without guns in their homes.
- 50% of suicides are committed with guns.
- The risk of suicide is five times higher for people in gun-owning households.
Local residents are concerned about the presence of guns in the community. The Scarsdale Congregational Church Interfaith Coalition Against Gun Violence held a screening of the film, "Making a Killing, Guns, Greed and the NRA" on Wednesday May 4th. The film traced the impact of guns on families whose loved ones had been shot and showed how the NRA has blocked initiatives to control the sale of guns and safe storage of guns in homes. Following the film, Leah Gunn Barrett, Executive Director of New Yorkers Against Gun Violence, shared a few ideas about how those in the room could advocate for gun control.
She informed attendees that Westchester County has a gun safety law in place but it is not currently enforced. She urged residents to ask lawmakers and police why this is so. Here is the law:
Gun Safety Law Westchester: The presence of an unsecured, easily accessible loaded weapon in the home increases the likelihood of death or injury from accidents and impulsive acts. Guns left unattended in the home should be kept locked or stored securely to prevent access by children and others who should not have access to them. Gun owners are responsible for keeping their firearms from falling into the hands of children and other unauthorized individuals.
No person who owns or is custodian of a weapon shall store or otherwise leave such weapon out of his or her immediate possession or control without having first securely locked such weapon in an appropriate safe storage depository or rendered it incapable of being fired by use of a safety locking device appropriate to that weapon.
She also pressed attendees to ask law enforcement for the data on lost and stolen firearms over the last five years. When a gun is locked up, it can't be stolen and end up on the streets.
State Assemblywoman Amy Paulin recently sponsored a bill that would require those convicted of a misdemeanor domestic violence crime to surrender his/her firearms including rifles, shotguns, black powder rifles, black powder shotguns, muzzle-loading firearms, antique firearms and pistols. Commenting on the bill, Paulin said, "Intimate partner homicide is the most frequent type of domestic homicide," said Paulin, who added that firearms, including handguns, rifles and shotguns, are the weapons used in one-third of intimate-partner homicides. "We know that when a gun is in the house, an abused woman is six times more likely than other abused women to be killed."
The bill has been passed in the State Assembly and Paulin is currently seeking a sponsor for the law to propose it for passage in the State Senate.
Barrett from New Yorkers Against Gun Violence said the group also supports passage of Nicholas's Law, that would require the safe storage of guns not in the immediate possession of the owner. The bill is named for Nicholas Naumkin, a 12 year-old from Saratoga, NY who was shot and killed on a play date by a friend who had discovered his father's loaded and unlocked 9mm handgun.
Learn more about Nicholas' Law and deaths from accidental shootings here:
Survey Results: Play Dates and Gun Safety
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- Written by Stacie M. Waldman
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The right to bear arms is protected in the second amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Though we don't like to think about it, it turns out that many of our neighbors have exercised this right to keep guns in their own homes. A map showing how many people in Scarsdale have applied for pistol permits was published in the Journal News in 2012. Many of us remember that Scarsdale, as well as neighboring towns, had a surprising number of red dots on the map indicating addresses where a pistol permit had been obtained.
According to the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, 1 in 3 homes with kids have a gun nationwide and about ½ of these are unlocked. In 2010, 116 children (0-19 years) were killed by guns in New York State and 389 were injured non-fatally in 2011. Half of all unintentional shooting deaths of kids occur when kids are playing with a loaded gun in their home.
Child Access Prevention (CAP) laws impose criminal liability on adults who allow children unsupervised access to firearms. Since this law passed in some areas, the incidence of gun-related injuries and deaths has decreased by nearly 25%. The National Rifle Association (NRA), opposed the CAP laws and developed a cartoon character called Eddie Eagle in an effort to teach kids what to do if they find a gun, thereby attempting to prevent accidents: "Stop. Don't touch. Run away. Tell a grown up". The NRA acknowledges that parents may make a mistake and leave a gun unattended. Whereas the NRA puts the onus on the child to do the right thing, CAP policy puts the onus on the adult to ensure that guns are safely stored.
When kids were asked if they know where a parent hides a gun most do know, yet most parents who are asked this same question think the kids do not know where it's hidden. The ASK campaign (Asking Saves Kids) aims to teach parents the value of asking, when your child is going to someone's house, if guns are kept locked and unloaded for safety reasons. Over 19 million people have pledged to begin asking this question.
I grew interested in this topic when I realized that I might be dropping my children off for play dates at homes with loaded guns. It's an important issue that people rarely discuss. Before leaving our kids in someone else's care, we often ask about booster seats in cars, what will be served for snack and who will be supervising the children. But we seldom ask questions about guns that could be far more lethal than sugar, and can change lives in an instant. We found that only 3 out of 99 respondents had ever been asked a question about gun in their homes by another parent. Are you comfortable asking about safety measures taken if guns are kept in a house and answering similar questions about guns you may keep in your own home?
To learn more about how local parents deal with the potential presence of guns, I conducted my own local survey and received anonymous answers. Here are the results I received from 100 respondents:
Question:
Have you talked to your kids about gun safety?
Response:
46% said yes, 54% said no.
Question:
If yes, at what age did you talk to your kids about gun safety?
Response:
3-5 21%
6-8 26%
9-12 14%
13+ 6%
n/a 45%
Question:
Have you ever been asked the question when you've had a play date come to your home: "If you keep a gun in your home, do you keep it locked up and unloaded?"
Response:
Only 3 out of 99 people said yes, they have been asked that question.
Question:
Have you ever asked that same question yourself: "If you keep a gun in your home do you keep it locked up and unloaded?"
Response:
More people have asked this question themselves than have been asked.
16% of people said yes and 84% of respondents said no.
Question:
Are you comfortable being asked the above question?
Response:
91% said yes, only 9% said no.
Question:
Are you comfortable asking the above question?
Response:
49% said yes and 51% said no.
Many people left comments on the survey. Here are some that I found interesting:
"I also don't ask about other more likely dangers"
"Somehow I feel that guns aren't likely to be owned by private citizens in this area so I haven't asked. Would anyone admit to owning a non-locked up gun though?"
"Nonsense "survey" designed to create fear and loathing for firearms."
"I never would have asked these questions until the map of gun permit holders was published a few years ago. I was shocked by the number of Scarsdale residents with weapons permits. Since then, if my children were still of playdate age, I would as."
"Anyone that keeps a gun locked up will not leave it unloaded. "
"Never occurred to ask"
"It is too politically charged (no pun intended)"
"I never thought about it. Maybe I should."
"This is a topic that is almost never discussed amongst parents. Sorely needs more awareness."
"I wish we all felt more comfortable asking this of each other before play dates."
"I was asked this once and initially I was insulted and felt like the mom was crazy. But the more I think about it now, the less crazy it seems."
"I have thought about asking the gun question but am leery of offending other families and being labeled 'that weird mom who thinks we may have a gun'. And this is even though I once worked at a magazine that did a major feature on guns and kids. I was in charge of opening reader mail in response to the story. Once I opened an envelope and out fell a photo of an adorable red headed girl with freckles and a crooked smile. The accompanying note said This was my daughter. She cut class for the first time and went to a friend's house. The friend was showing her his father's gun when it accidentally went off and killed her. The social pressure not to ask about guns is sadly even stronger than the memory of that terrible, sad letter. "
"I support the second amendment and believe we have the right to own firearms. However, given the completely inappropriate publication of names of handgun licensees by the Journal and the public harassment of conservatives, second Amendment supporters and gun owners, I would not reveal my political positions or my gun ownership or lack thereof to another parent. Given that most people here have drunk the left wing Kool-Aid I would be frankly shocked if any of my kids' friends' families had a gun. In fact, among the ones with whom I've discussed this issue, I'm the only one who even supports gun rights. The only people I know who own guns live out of state. It is also incredibly difficult to own a handgun in NY - the process is onerous. So, while this is a relevant issue, I think you are making mountains out of molehills in our little enclave. A better place to start might be an anonymous survey to see how many in Scarsdale actually own firearms."
"I feel safer knowing that a parent is able to protect my child in the event of some horrific crazed addict or burglar...gun owners who are licensed are much safer about gun safety...it is unlicensed criminals that cause issues."
"I was asked this question once about 7 years ago and I remember being shocked by then thinking 'How smart!' Thank you for this survey- we should all start asking this important question."
I decided to ask the question myself for the first time when my son was invited to play at a new friend's house where I did not know the parents. Prior to dropping off my son I emailed the mom to answer her question about whether my son had any food allergies. I then asked, "Just wanted to ask one safety question that's important to me... If ou keep a gun in the house, do you keep it locked and unloaded?" She wrote back immediately that they actually don't even own a gun. I then explained why I was asking and breathed a sigh of relief. I was surprised at how uncomfortable the question was for me to ask."
"I followed up with her for this article and asked the mom if she was taken aback by the question and what her honest impression was of me asking it. She said, "I was not taken aback only because I had a parent ask me that question before. I remember at that time being somewhat shocked by the question at first and having to think through my reaction as to why I felt so shocked. As a family we don't carry guns, we also don't promote the idea of people owning guns. I think my initial reaction came from a defensive place. Then I realized that it was in fact a very mature and responsible question to ask. You are allowing your child into my home. You are entrusting us with his care. It is your right as his mother to ask whatever questions you want regarding his safety and as his 'caretaker' I should be willing to answer those questions without being defensive or taking offense. In my opinion it's good parenting. When you asked I had already thought through all of this and I was more than happy to answer. When kids are on play dates it's instinctual for them to want to impress their friends. It's during moments like those that kids can and will try and access those things that they know they shouldn't be near."
I also asked whether she would ask the same question. She answered, "It's not something I would have considered before now, but if I felt like I needed to ask that question I wouldn't shy away from it. We live in a time where a lot of people keep guns in their homes. Not everyone is responsible in ensuring they are properly locked away as we have seen in too many news reports. Asking the question if you own a gun and if it's properly locked away is no different than asking if your pool has a fence or if your yard has a gate or if you make the kids wear helmets when they ride scooters or bikes. My honest thoughts are if it's your kid (my kid) you as a parent have the responsibility to ask those questions. As a parent looking after your child I should be happy to offer up that information to you. It's better to ask the awkward questions than live a lifetime of regret."
June 21st is National ASK Day (Asking Saves Kids) to raise awareness about guns and kids. They encourage all parents to ask, "Is there an unlocked gun in your house?" before dropping their children off to play.
Will you ask this important question to parents in your neighborhood? What are your thoughts on this issue?
Guns and Play Dates: Take Our Survey
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- Written by Stacie M. Waldman
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Before you drop your child off at a play date, do you ask a few questions to ensure their safety? Parents have learned to ask others parents questions like, "Do you have a booster seat in your car?" and "Does your child have any food allergies?"
The ASK (Asking Saves Kids) campaign aims to teach parents how to ask another very important question: If you keep a gun in your house, is it safely stored (locked and unloaded)? Every day, there are accidental shootings in this country where there are more firearms owned by private citizens than there are citizens.
- 1 in 3 homes have guns.
- 3 in 4 children ages 5-14 know where guns are kept in the home.
- 80% of unintentional deaths from firearms of kids under the age of 15 occur in a home
Would you ever ask this question or have you already asked it? Please take our quick 5 question survey so we can see where people in Scarsdale stand on this issue. Your answers are anonymous.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/38ZRNTK
Making a Killing: Guns, Greed and the NRA
Also on the subject of guns, the Interfaith Coalition Against Gun Violence will be screening the movie Making a Killing Guns, Greed and the NRA on Wednesday May 4th at 7:00pm at The Scarsdale Congregational Church's Boynton Room. Following the film there will be a discussion with Leah Gunn Barrett, Executive Director of New Yorkers Against Gun Violence. The film is free and there is parking across from the church.
Scarsdale Congregational Church
1 Heathcote Road
Scarsdale, NY 10583
For more information, call (914) 723-2111
The Best Lunch of the Year
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- Written by Toni DiMartino
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The Greenacres PTA hosted its annual Multicultural Lunch on April 12. Parents contributed and served a wide array of foods representing Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, the Caribbean, Latin America, Oceania, Australia, and New Zealand. The more than 75 delicious dishes and 
desserts included jolloff rice, sweet noodle kugel, samosas, udon noodles, sushi, crepes, spanakopita, matzah balls, lasagna, Irish soda bread, scones with jam, corn bread, mini hot dogs, plantains, arroz con pollo, fairy bread, macaroons and Icelandic pancakes. The festive luncheon is a much-loved occasion for students, faculty and staff. When asked what his favorite thing at the luncheon was, kindergarten student Charlie I replied "everything!" Another boy was overheard telling his buddy, "This is the best lunch of the year."
Is School Related Stress Making our Kids Sick? Vicki Abeles at the Podium in Scarsdale
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- Written by Stacie M. Waldman
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A well-attended talk by Vicki Abeles at the Scarsdale Middle School on Wednesday, April 6 has gotten parents, teachers and school administrators talking.
Ms. Abeles, an ex-Wall Street lawyer and mother of 3, is now well known as an author and documentary film producer. Her topic of expertise? The current state of our education system and the impact it is having on students. She produced the 2007 film "Race to Nowhere" and more recently the film "Beyond Measure" that portrays our schools as pressure cookers that are actually making our kids sick. "Beyond Measure" is also a published book. The films were creatively distributed at the community level.
She began her presentation by describing a day in the life of a student: Wake up early to finish school work, get to school by 7-8 AM, attend school for 7 hours, head to tutor/sports/clubs/religious school/band rehearsals after school, eat dinner, begin school work around 8 PM. Before formulating her position she visited hundreds of schools where she witnessed extreme anxiety among students. She met students who had somatic conditions as young as 6, cutting behaviors, sleep deprivation, anxiety, and students who were suicidal. She was quick to point out that stress and pressure crosses socioeconomic barriers using as an example a kid from an impoverished area who could be the first in the family to do well enough in school to receive a scholarship to college. Ms. Abeles said, "Many parents think kids need to work extremely hard because they're paying their dues until college. But the achievement race isn't allowing children to thrive; it's actually doing the opposite. We aren't teaching kids how to become good at something other than getting good grades," she continued. "They're good at doing school, but not at taking risks." She also spoke about the student perspective of feeling that they're constantly being measured and graded.
Ms. Abeles presented and defended her view and presented data to demonstration that the "drive for success" is making kids sick by inducing unprecedented stress; this stress, she claimed, is leading to high levels of anxiety and depression. She referenced Dr. Stuart Slavin, a medical professor from St. Louis, who spoke to a Scarsdale audience last week. "We are conducting an enormous experiment on our entire American student population," she quoted him as saying. He said that medical students had severe depression and anxiety to the tune of 50% and 80% respectively. However, when he implemented certain interventions like a half day off a week and pass/fail for certain courses, depression and anxiety decreased and board scores actually increased.
She quoted the CDC saying "...teens get two hours less sleep per night than they need, on average." The American Psychological Association reported that nearly 1 in 3 teenagers said that stress made them sad or depressed and that the number one source of their stress was school.
It is interesting to note that schoolwork was not cited as the source of stress and Abeles did not consider social stress and social media that can also make teens anxious. Furthermore, when I read the APA article, I found that Ms. Abeles left out other information in the study, namely that teens who reported high stress during the past school year also said they spend an average of 3.2 hours a day online compared with less than 2 hours among those reporting low levels of stress.
Ms. Abeles spent the next half of the session with a call to action. She named those who are responsible for the "crisis" we are experiencing in schools: helicopter parents, unreasonable parents, school administrators, college admissions officers, the media and even congress. "The real answer is our collective culture," she said, "and we all play a role in this. So we can all play a role in changing this."
Abeles recommends the following to make kids happy, healthy and engaged in learning:
- Prioritize wellness, create an education task force, have community nights off, change graduation requirements, reinvent the high school transcript
- Recalibrate time: safeguard time outside of school hours, later start times, reduced homework, upgraded seminars driven by student interest, block schedule
- Transform learning- make it personalized and experiential, blend across subjects
What can parents do to help?
Ms. Abeles would like to see parents take a more relaxed approach to school and the college admissions process.
What can educators do to help?
Ms. Abeles advises emphasizing curiosity and exploration over test prep, limiting/abolishing tests and other number driven evaluations, limiting/abolishing homework starting with weekends and vacations, and limiting work that gets graded and encouraging iteration, editing, or prototyping instead.
The Scarsdale crowd was asked, "If you had a magic wand, what would you change about your school?" Here were some of the responses:
"I'd like to see more self direction in terms of what's studied."
"I'd like to see the homework issue addressed, especially on the weekends. Social relationships shouldn't be put to the side because of homework."
"I would have elementary school start earlier and high school start later because of natural sleep patterns."
"I would like to see fewer tests and quizzes given. They create a lot of stress."
"I want more down time and more time in nature and for play. Also, the opportunity to let our kids make mistakes."
"Kids are bombarded with grades as of middle school- 6th grade."
"Stop rankings of schools. It just drives the competition and gives a lot of mixed messages. There is no best high school. This is a big contributor to the stress we feel as parents."
"Assignments can be more efficient rather than just busywork."
"I'd like to see the drug use issue addressed. I recently graduated from Scarsdale High School and I can tell you that there ARE drugs here. And there's no acknowledgment of it."
"Open art studios in schools."
Overall, homework was the number one thing parents wanted changed in the Scarsdale schools.
Ms. Abeles closed her talk by saying, "Your kids deserve a childhood. You have a responsibility to take action. We are stealing their childhoods from them as well as their futures."
To catch the film, click here:
To purchase the book, click here:
