County starts gun buyback
Thanks partly to a donation from CarePoint Health, Hudson County will join Union City for a gun buyback program to be held in Bayonne, Jersey City, and Union City on July 12 and 13.
Hudson County has received a $50,000 from CarePoint that will cover some of the costs of the program. The county will pay up to $250 per weapon. Residents can anonymously turn in up to three guns with no questions asked.
The gun amnesty program will be held at Mount Carmel Parish Center, 39 E. 22nd Street, Bayonne, Evangelimos Greek Orthodox Church, 661 Montgomery Street, Jersey City, and St Anthony of Padua Catholic Church, 615 8th Street, Union City.
For more information call (609) 984-5828 or go to www.nj.gov/guns.
Beware possible scam
Bill Kobryn, PBA Local 7 President, whose local represents offices of the Bayonne Police Department, cautioned residents about phone solicitations.
“The local serves the needs of its membership and also the needs of the community as well as individuals who may be in need of assistance,” he said. “The Bayonne PBA Local 7 and the Bayonne Police Department do not solicit over the telephone.”
Calls from “law enforcement” or public-safety organizations are being made by telemarketing firms, he said.
“These solicitations do not benefit the Bayonne Police Department or PBA Local 7,” he said. “We urge you to use extreme caution in the event that you may get a phone call from these types of telemarketers representing other organizations. If you do decide to contribute as a result of one of these calls, you should ask for information regarding their organization, including a general financial statement. You should get written confirmation regarding the contribution.”
LGBT/Immigration ombudsman needed?
In a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, 22 U.S. senators, including Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ), urged the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to quickly make any necessary administrative changes and appoint an independent ombudsman for bi-national LGBT couples in response to the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling on the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). The ruling in United States vs. Windsor declared Section 3 of DOMA unconstitutional, allowing married bi-national LGBT couples to apply for a green card and access to federal protections and benefits. Before the ruling, an estimated 36,000 bi-national LGBT couples were forced to live in fear of separation because DOMA prohibited American citizens from sponsoring their spouses for green cards.
“Last week’s ruling is a major step forward in the civil rights and marriage equality movement. Immigration policy is clear that marriages are recognized as valid based on the place of celebration. Now that the Supreme Court has acted, we were pleased to see U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services issue the first approval of a green card to an LGBT family in Florida,” the Senators wrote. “We urge you to swiftly make any further necessary administrative changes required to immediately implement the ruling across the Department. We also urge you to appoint an independent ombudsman for LGBT issues who reports directly to you, is available and accessible to the public, and is empowered to resolve complaints across agencies within the Department. We believe the ombudsman is necessary to address the inquiries from LGBT couples and resolve any problems these couples face, some with very complex situations requiring careful attention.”