Rep. Carolyn McCarthy Talks To 1010 WINS About Leaving Congress, What Lies Ahead
NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- After nine terms in Congress, Rep. Carolyn Mccarthy's time in Washington is up.
In January, McCarthy announced she would not seek a 10th term in office when her current term expires later this year.
"It's coming to an end. I can't believe it's 18 years. Everytime I think about that ... I said where'd the time go," McCarthy told 1010 WINS' reporter Mona Rivera in her first radio exit interview as she prepares to retire.
The 70-year-old Democrat from Mineola ran for office after her husband Dennis was shot to death in the 1993 Long Island Rail Road massacre.
She was elected to the House in 1996, a surprise victory that would inspire a Barbra Streisand-produced TV movie. Eventually, she became known as the "gun lady" on Capitol Hill.
"I was only going to go down for two years, get my work done and here we are 18 years later," McCarthy said.
Web Extra: Click Here To Listen To Mona Rivera's Interview With Carolyn McCarthy
When she got to Washington, she realized how difficult gun control would be, Rivera reported.
Her biggest achievement came in 2007 when she helped pass what was the first major gun control legislation in more than a decade: The National Instant Background Check Improvements Act.
The act funds states to update records of ineligible gun buyers, including mentally ill persons and felons. It also requires federal agencies to share that information.
McCarthy continued to introduce gun control legislation throughout her career, including in the aftermath of the 2011 Tucson, Ariz. shooting rampage that left fellow Rep. Gabrielle Giffords seriously injured.
Rep. Steve Israel, a fellow Long Island congressman who heads the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, called McCarthy "a shining example of how one can translate tragedy into meaningful public service."
"Carolyn leaves a legacy of standing up for Long Island families, advocating for the safety of our children and fighting for critical gun safety legislation," Israel said. "She will be deeply missed."
McCarthy, a lifelong smoker, announced in June 2013 that she had lung cancer.
"I'm doing well. We're certainly not putting on the word 'cure' yet but so far everything is going very, very well," McCarthy told Rivera. "I feel great. I have to tell you, I feel better today than I did a year ago."
As for the future, McCarthy told Rivera she would like to continue to fight for gun control at the state level, and would also like to do some teaching at local colleges.
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