Carolyn McCarthy, a former U.S. Representative and gun control advocate, died at 81 after battling lung cancer.

Former New York Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, known as a prominent advocate for gun control, has died at the age of 81.

Former U.S. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, who successfully ran for Congress in 1996 as a crusader for gun control after a mass shooting on a New York commuter train left her husband dead and her son severely wounded, has died. She was 81.