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yesterday

Carolyn McCarthy, Pioneering Gun Control Advocate, Dies at 81

Her crusade for stricter firearm laws began after her husband’s death in the 1993 LIRR shooting, shaping national policy for more than two decades.

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Former Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, D-N.Y., speaks at a news conference with members of the New Democratic Coalition in the Capitol Visitor Center in 2012.
In this Jan. 24, 2013 file photo, Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, D-N.Y., speaks during a news conference with a coalition of members of Congress, mayors, law enforcement officers, gun safety organizations and other groups on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)
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Overview

  • McCarthy died on June 26, 2025, in Florida at the age of 81 after years of lung cancer treatment.
  • The 1993 Long Island Rail Road shooting by Colin Ferguson killed her husband Dennis McCarthy while injuring her son Kevin McCarthy, propelling her into public office.
  • She served nine terms in the U.S. House from 1997 through early 2015, retiring after announcing a lung cancer diagnosis in 2013.
  • During her tenure she led calls for tougher gun safety laws following the Columbine, Virginia Tech and Sandy Hook school shootings.
  • She championed measures to strengthen background checks, require childproof gun triggers and bar firearm purchases by individuals with criminal records or serious mental health conditions.