Carolyn McCarthy, whose personal tragedy propelled her to national prominence after her husband was killed during the 1993 Long Island Rail Road massacre, launching a nearly two-decade congressional career during which she became one of the nation’s leading voices for gun control, died Wednesday of natural causes at her home in Fort Myers, Florida. She was 81.

McCarthy, a Democrat, served 18 years in the U.S. House of Representatives representing Nassau County’s 4th District before her retirement in 2015 following a cancer diagnosis.

During her time in Washington, McCarthy established a reputation as her party’s point person on gun control issues, helping to usher in legislation that strengthened background checks on firearms and the ban on some assault weapons.

Kevin McCarthy, 58, of Leland, North Carolina, who was seriously injured in the LIRR massacre but survived, said her mother had an "unwavering spirit" that left an indelible mark on everyone she met.

"Mom dedicated her life to transforming personal tragedy into a powerful mission of public service," he said Thursday. "As a tireless advocate, devoted mother, proud grandmother and courageous leader, she changed countless lives for the better. Her legacy of compassion, strength and purpose will never be forgotten."

Carolyn McCarthy was born in 1944 and raised in Brooklyn, the daughter of Thomas Cook, a boilermaker, and Irene Cook, a homemaker and part-time salesperson at a five-and-dime. The former congresswoman overcame a childhood learning disability and graduated from Mineola High School in 1962.

McCarthy found her first calling after caring for a high school boyfriend who was seriously injured in a car accident, enrolling in the Glen Cove Nursing School and earning a degree two years later. As a new mother, McCarthy worked long night shifts so she could be home with Kevin during the day.

For 30 years, McCarthy, who married Dennis McCarthy in 1967, worked as a licensed nurse in the intensive care unit of Glen Cove Hospital.

On the evening of Dec. 7, 1993, as a Long Island Rail Road train arrived at the Merillon Avenue station, passenger Colin Ferguson began firing at other passengers with a semiautomatic pistol.

Six people, including McCarthy’s husband of 27 years, were killed, and 19 others were wounded before Ferguson was tackled and restrained by other LIRR passengers.

Kevin McCarthy, the couple’s only child, was shot in the head.

"I took a deep breath," McCarthy told Newsday in 2018 on the 25th anniversary of the LIRR massacre. "When I saw Kevin coming out of the operating room, I didn’t even recognize him. When he opened his eyes, I said, and this is the mother talking, not the nurse — 'I’m going to make sure he survives.' And thank God he did."

Ferguson was convicted in 1995 on six counts of murder and 19 counts of attempted murder and sentenced to life in prison.

While caring for her son, McCarthy became a passionate gun control advocate, traveling to Washington, D.C., to lobby Congress to support then-President Bill Clinton's crime bill, which included a ban on assault weapons.

When Rep. Dan Frisa, a Republican then representing the Fourth District, announced his opposition to the assault weapons ban, McCarthy decided to challenge him for the seat.

McCarthy, a registered Republican from Mineola at the time, initially planned to run in a GOP primary.

But when she was discouraged from an intraparty challenge by the powerful Nassau County Republican Party, she changed her affiliation and ran as a Democrat.

While Nassau Democrats offered her little in terms of financial support or staffing in the face of the county Republican machine, McCarthy was able to garner widespread support through an army of volunteers knocking on doors across the district.

McCarthy, who was also given a prime-time speaking spot at the 1996 Democratic National Convention, would win the race by 17 points, tapping into a crossover vote that included many middle-class Republican women.

"I didn’t expect to really win. I was shocked when I did," McCarthy told Newsday in the 2018 interview. "I felt, being naive about how Congress worked, that I'd go for two years and come home."

Instead, McCarthy would win reelection in 1998 against Republican Gregory Becker, defeat him again in a rematch two years later and then serve another six terms.

"Carolyn fought for safer communities, and stronger laws to prevent gun violence," said Jay Jacobs, the state and Nassau Democratic Party Chairman. "She leaves behind a legacy of action, resilience, and public service." 

In the House, McCarthy became a leading supporter of gun control issues even while expressing support for the Second Amendment.

Her legislative achievements included bolstering background checks on gun buyers, childproofing gun triggers, and disqualifying individuals with mental health conditions and criminal records from purchasing firearms.

But there were legislative setbacks as well, including the failure to outlaw large capacity ammunition clips and exploding bullets such as those used in the LIRR shooting and an inability to reauthorize the assault weapons ban after it expired in 2004.

McCarthy also served on the Education and Workforce Committee during her entire legislative career, directing funding for healthy school lunch programs, the construction and renovation of school buildings and programs for special need students. She also helped draft the landmark 2001 No Child Left Behind Act.

McCarthy announced her retirement in January 2014, months after disclosing she had lung cancer and was receiving chemotherapy treatments.

"It was my time to go. It was my time to let new voices come in. It was my time to let someone else be the voice for my constituents," McCarthy told Newsday in an interview at the time of her retirement.

McCarthy later sold her Mineola home and moved to Florida, throwing herself into transforming her new house and gardens into a dream sanctuary, family members said.

On Thursday, lawmakers from across the political spectrum hailed McCarthy's powerful legacy, both on Long Island and across the nation.

"Carolyn McCarthy turned personal tragedy into a powerful legacy of advocacy," said Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-Glen Cove). "She became one of Congress’ most tireless champions for gun violence prevention. She served with courage, humility, and deep compassion."

Rep. Laura Gillen (D-Rockville Centre), who now serves in McCarthy's district, called the congresswoman a "tireless advocate for Long Island" who "turned her pain into action." 

"We must honor her legacy by continuing her life’s work to keep our communities and our children safe from the scourge of gun violence," she added.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said he worked with McCarthy "in the fight for gun safety, health care, education, and better transportation for Long Islanders with unwavering focus — a true public servant who loved the people of her district, Long Island, and all of New York."

Gov. Kathy Hochul directed flags on all state government buildings to be flown at half-staff until sunset on Friday, noting that "McCarthy touched the lives of many through her work in public service.”

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman also ordered flags to be flown at half-staff until her burial and instructed the county's Department of Public Works to find a street to name in her honor.

"Carolyn was a true leader and a very decent person," Blakeman said. 

In January 2025, McCarthy was honored at the White House with the Presidential Citizens Medal.

McCarthy's granddaughter, Grace McCarthy, accepted the award from then-President Joe Biden on her grandmother's behalf.

Biden, in a written statement, described McCarthy as someone who "had an instinct to heal and serve."

Carolyn McCarthy is survived by her son Kevin and daughter-in-law Leslie McCarthy; grandchildren Denis and Grace McCarthy; sister Janice Petrozzo, brothers Thomas Cook and Peter Cook, brothers-in-law Jack Sauer and Ron Petrozzo and sisters in-law Marita Cook and Maribeth Cook. She was predeceased by her husband, parents and another sister, Donna Sauer.

A public celebration of McCarthy's life will be held July 8 at 6 p.m. at Fairchild & Sons funeral chapel in Garden City. Interment will be private.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations may be made to Long Island Cares/Harry Chapin Food Bank in Hauppauge or to New Yorkers Against Gun Violence.