Colin 4 Westchester

As America approaches its 250th anniversary, celebration should not require forgetting.

The Declaration’s promise has always been larger than the nation that first spoke it. It was denied to the enslaved, to Indigenous peoples, to women, and to so many others who had to force America to recognize what its own words already demanded.

This open letter is about holding both truths at once: gratitude and memory, celebration and accountability, patriotism and truth.

A celebration of promise, struggle, truth, and the work that remains unfinished.

Early voting begins today in New York’s primary elections.

And I keep thinking about Medgar Evers.

Sixty-three years ago yesterday, Evers was murdered outside his home in Jackson, Mississippi. Only hours earlier, President Kennedy had told the country that civil rights was not just a political question. It was a moral question.

Evers was 37 years old. A husband. A father. A veteran.

And he had spent his day doing something that should have been ordinary in a democracy.

He was registering people to vote.

I keep picturing him coming home that night. Tired, maybe even satisfied, after helping Black Mississippians claim a right that already belonged to them. But he also knew the danger. His wife knew it. His children knew it.

The threat followed him home.

Medgar Evers was killed because people understood that the ballot was not symbolic.

It was power.

So today, as early voting begins, the question is simple.

Are we honoring that legacy by showing up?

May we never forget their sacrifice 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

Not surprisingly, after my post yesterday about Westchester County’s new gun warning label law, the attacks started almost immediately.

Tyranny. Infringement. Compelled speech. Warning labels never work. Everyone already knows guns are dangerous. And, of course, the familiar parade of hammers, knives, forks, pencils, and swimming pools.

But the core point remains simple: a warning is not a ban.

This law does not confiscate fi****ms, prohibit lawful gun ownership, or change who may legally purchase a firearm. It requires that the risks associated with bringing a gun into the home be made visible at the point of sale and during the licensing process.

That is not tyranny. It is public-health disclosure. It is prevention. It is truth at the point of decision.

I wrote more about why this law matters, what it actually does, what the data says about fi****ms in the home, and why respecting rights does not require hiding risk.

Read the full article here ==> https://open.substack.com/pub/colindavidsmith/p/a-warning-label-is-not-tyranny?r=7mgcus&utm_medium=ios

A Warning Label Is Not Tyranny Westchester’s Visual Gun Warning Law does not infringe on gun ownership. It simply refuses to hide the risks.

Westchester just passed a nation-leading Visual Gun Warning Law by a unanimous 17–0 vote.

This law does not ban fi****ms. It does not stop lawful gun ownership. It simply requires firearm retailers to show clear visual warnings about the real risks that can come with bringing a gun into the home: su***de, domestic violence, homicide, and accidental shootings.

We already use warnings for ci******es, alcohol, medication, seatbelts, and countless other public safety risks. Fi****ms should be no different.

People deserve the truth before making decisions that can permanently alter a family’s life.

Prevention begins with awareness. And if this law helps prevent even one tragedy, it will have served a powerful public purpose.

🇲🇽🇲🇽HAPPY CINCO DE MAYO!! 🇲🇽🇲🇽

Today I had a fantastic time celebrating Cinco de Mayo at Peekskill’s annual festival today. Grateful to join such a vibrant community event, made possible by longtime local business owner Ruben Alvarez of Ruben’s Mexican Café. Great food, great people, and a great day all around!

Hoy me lo pasé muy bien celebrando el Cinco de Mayo en el festival anual de Peekskill. Agradecido de unirme a un evento comunitario tan vibrante, hecho posible gracias al antiguo propietario de un negocio local desde hace mucho tiempo, Rubén Álvarez, del Café Mexicano de Rubén. ¡Buena comida, gente estupenda y un gran día en todos los sentidos!

🇲🇽