Nassau County GOP Executive Bruce Blakeman Holds Gun Drive for Ukraine

A Nassau County politician wants Long Islanders to donate weapons so he can ship them to Ukraine for use in the ongoing conflict with Russia.

GOP County Executive Bruce Blakeman told the Post he was staging the stunt to draw attention to Ukraine’s provocative resistance to Vladimir Putin and his army’s devastating assault on their country.

“Just watching Ukrainian residents make Molotov cocktails in a brewery from beer bottles shows that they are in desperate flight and that we cannot sit idly by and do nothing,” he said. he said before mentioning the Ukrainian president’s rejection of the US evacuation offer. week.

“As President Zelensky said: he doesn’t need to be transported, he needs weapons.”

Blakeman hopes to collect shotguns and civilized military-style semi-automatic weapons, such as AR-15s.

But, he admitted he has yet to identify a way to get the weapons halfway around the world and would likely need federal agencies to approve the shipment.

Representative Lee Zeldin would work with Blakeman to pressure the Biden administration and make the expedition possible.
Kevin C. Downs

Blakeman said he plans to contact Long Island GOP representatives Andrew Garbarino and Lee Zeldin to help pressure the Biden administration to grant his endorsement.

Zeldin, who is now running for governor and earned the state’s Republican Party stamp of approval as the nominated candidate on Tuesday, voted against certifying Biden’s 2020 victory.

The move comes as the US, UK, France, Germany and other Western European allies ship weapons – including anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles – to Ukraine by air.

Weapon Rack
The collection should take place from Friday to next Monday.
Kolderal/Getty Images

Blakeman told the Post he was setting up a four-day gun drive that would run from Friday through next Monday, though he has yet to find a way to ship the guns to the stranger to the war-torn country.

He said he was asking individuals to drop off or buy and then donate firearms at a licensed gun store, SP Firearms Unlimited, in Franklin Square, New York.

He said he also raised about $20,000 for the effort on Wednesday.

“I will be the first to buy a weapon and donate it to the Ukrainian people.”

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