Front Row Seat For State Of The Union

Linda Beigel Schulman of Dix Hills stands with Congressman Tom Suozzi and other gun safety advocates at a rally calling for passage of for gun safety legislation in the days leading up to the State of the Union address. Beigel Schulman’s son Scott, inset photo, was killed protecting students in the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida two years ago.

By Peter Sloggatt

psloggatt@longislandergroup.com

While most of the country watched President Donald J. Trump deliver his third State of the Union address on television, Linda Beigel Schulman ofDixHillswas in the house to hear first handwhat the Presidentwould say.

She didn’t exactly like what she heard, at leastwhen it came to talk about gun safety, an issue forwhich she has a passion.Beigel is the mother of Scott Beigel who was murdered while saving the lives of students in themass shooting atMarjory StonemanDouglasHigh School in Parkland, Fla. nearly two years ago.

Beigel was the guest of Congressman Tom Suozzi (D-Long Island, Queens) with whomshe spent theweek advocating for common sense gun violence prevention laws. She joined other gun violence survivors and victims’ family members to encourage action from the Senate on H.R. 8, a bipartisan bill thatwould require background checks for anyone purchasing a firearm. The bill passed the House nearly a year ago and is stalled in the Senate. It was not among the accomplishments outlined by the President in his State of theUnion speech.Rather, among the promises he made was the statement: “So long as I am President I will protect your Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.”

Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter, a student, was also among those killed in Parkland, and whose brother lives in Commack, was quickly escorted from the House when he began shouting back at the President.

“Right before he made that statement I wanted to explode,” Beigel Schulman said. “I was hoping. I was looking for a nugget at least. The movement we have is not a partisan issue. It’s about everyone’s right to be safe.

“Our movement does not seek to infringe upon anyone’s rights, but we do want to make our communities safer and ensure that no one has to endure losing a loved to gun violence as I did,” she said.

Schulman, since losing her son to gun violence in Parkland, has dedicated herself to promoting common-sense gun legislation. She advocated for a Red Flag law in New York which was passed last year, and has noted that had a similar law existed in Florida, her son might be alive today.

While in Washington D.C., Beigel Schulman met with other gun safety advocates and rallied for passage of the background check legislation. Among them was the father of a boy killed in Columbine, Colo. 20 years ago. “He was wearing his son’s sneakers,” she said.

“I belong to a club I did not want to join,” Beigel Schulman said. “I spoke today with people who were standing in my shoes. I tell them I don’t want anyone else coming into my club.”