Petition Brought To Legislature Against County's Plan To Arm Citizens

MINEOLA, NY — Advocates delivered a petition with more than 2,000 signatures on Monday to the Nassau County Legislature in opposition to County Executive Bruce Blakeman's controversial plan to arm residents during emergencies.

The change.org petition was started by Sabine Margolis of Great Neck.

"I'm very honored to have so many voices support this idea," she said. "We should not have a militia."

Blakeman said previously that up to 100 people applied to join the County as special provisional deputies. One criterion is having a pistol license.

She said the signatures are a cross-section of Nassau residents. A major concern for them, she said: "the militia could be abused and how it will affect the community."

She called those who participated in the petition "brave," while also noting that it got at least 10,000 views. "I'm pretty sure there are many more that have the same sentiment but might feel uncomfortable," she said. "I'd like to be the spark."

Jody Kass with Concerned Citizens of NY-03 questioned "What authority does Bruce Blakeman have to create an armed militia?"

"We believe that he is acting outside the law in doing this," advocate Nina Gordon said. "A lot of people are very concerned about the potential for harm with something like this."

Patch attempted to get a comment from Blakeman's office.

However, addressing criticism last week, Blakeman said the provisional deputies would be a "database of people who would be willing to volunteer in the event that there was an emergency."

Blakeman also said they would be used primarily during emergencies to "guard and protect government buildings, hospitals, utility plants, sewer treatment plants, churches, mosques and synagogues and things of that nature." He said that would help free "our police officers to do other work."

At the minimum, Kass hopes the Legislature will convene a hearing on the matter "and bring some transparency back to our county."

"The inaction of the Republican majority in this matter is deeply concerning. By failing to actively engage and scrutinize the developments surrounding County Executive Bruce Blakeman's militia, or listen to the opinions of actual law enforcement officers, means they are effectively granting unchecked power. The public has a right to transparency and deserves comprehensive answers to the pressing questions about how this militia is being organized, trained, and financed. Democracy thrives on accountability, and right now, it seems to be in short supply."

Legislative Minority Leader Delia DeRiggi-Whitton (D-Glen Cove) said: "The inaction of the Republican majority in this matter is deeply concerning. By failing to actively engage and scrutinize the developments surrounding County Executive Bruce Blakeman's militia, or listen to the opinions of actual law enforcement officers, means they are effectively granting unchecked power."

Kass and Margolis said there has been no contact with Blakeman, but they would relish the opportunity to sit down with him.