Nassau County Friends of the NRA plans to host fundraiser in New Hyde Park

The Nassau County Friends of the NRA is hosting an event at the Inn at New Hyde Park in September, angering some residents and elected officials.

News 12 Staff

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Aug 22, 2019, 3:41 PM

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Updated 1,948 days ago

The Nassau County Friends of the NRA is hosting an event at the Inn at New Hyde Park in September, angering some residents and elected officials.

According to a flyer, the event will take place on Sept. 19 and include raffles and the auctioning off of guns. The invitation states the event is to "celebrate a legacy of shooting sports traditions."

State Sen. Jim Gaughran has written a letter to the Inn asking it to reconsider allowing the event to take place.

"I think it's awful with all the mass tragedies that have taken place over the past number of years, including just recently, for them to book this NRA event," says Gaughran. "I think it's disgraceful."

So far, The Inn has not responded. Last year, the same group held an event at the Inn that was met by protests. The management of the Inn said last year that it wanted to stay neutral and didn't want to cancel the event because it needed to fulfill a contract.

Anti-gun advocate Linda Beigel Schuman, whose son Scott Beigel was killed in the Parkland, Florida shooting, says the Inn has no excuse this time.

"That was a bunch of lies because they're doing it again," says Schuman.

Before the 2018 event, Members of the Friends of the NRA described the fundraiser as a non-political event and that proceeds from it would benefit shooting sports programs.

News 12 reported earlier this week that Rep. Peter King became the first House Republican to back legislation to ban assault weapons amid the latest rash of mass shootings. The bill has strong support from Democrats in the House of Representatives.

Anti-gun advocates say they plan to once again protest outside the NRA fundraiser.