BLACK, PUERTO RICAN, HISPANIC & ASIAN LEGISLATIVE CAUCUS COMMEMORATES GUN VIOLENCE AWARENESS MONTH BY ADVANCING LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES
ALBANY, NY (June 1, 2021) – Today, on the start of Gun Violence Awareness Month, the Members of the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic & Asian Legislative Caucus gather to announce a legislative package that will keep communities safe from gun violence and hold the firearm industry accountable.
As New York continues to recover from Covid-19, we must also work to combat another health pandemic that is just as traumatic. Since April of 2020, gun violence has increased 84% over the year and is expected to increase as the weather gets warmer. It is why the Caucus championed the passage of the Community Violence Intervention and Prevention Act in the FY2021 budget, which directs federal funds towards reducing gun violence as the health crises that it is. But more must be done.
As a sixty-eight-member body representing all corners of the State of New York, we are united in the call for advancing true gun violence measures that will both hold the gun industry accountable and keep our communities safe – causes shared throughout each of our communities across the state. As such, the Caucus and our colleagues in the legislature lend our collective voice to advocate for passage of our gun violence legislative package.
“The escalating gun violence is a public health crisis not just in New York, but across the nation," said Assemblymember Michaelle Solages (D-Long Island), Chair of the New York State Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic & Asian Legislative Caucus. "Until we deal with this issue on a federal level, New York State must continue to take the lead. With these bills, New York can build upon our strong gun laws. Together we will ensure that our communities are safe and the firearm industry is held accountable.”
“Among many things, this package of legislation will minimize the potential tragedy of injury or death due to a history of poor firearm training or handling by gun owners,” said Assemblywoman Diana Richardson (D-Brooklyn). “My legislation aims to reduce this by requiring gun owners to observe a series of educational and hands-on training exercises by certified firearms experts that will result in a drastic reduction of such incidences particularly at home.”
“Today's fight against gun violence contains terrible echoes of history. Distant profiteers, building fortunes far from where we live, paying no regard to the awful costs borne in blood and tears by Black and Brown communities,” said Senator Zellnor Myrie (D-Brooklyn). “So we must decide: on whose side will we stand? Our laws protect the shareholders of irresponsible gun manufacturers and dealers, but leave our communities exposed and vulnerable to this menace. One in 40 Black boys will die from gun violence during his lifetime. We must say enough and, once and for all, break this iron pipeline.”
“Gun ownership comes with tremendous responsibility,” said Senator James Sanders (D-Queens). “Thousands of people are killed each year in New York and throughout the nation due to gun violence by homicide, accidents and suicide. Many of the perpetrators of gun violence had mental health issues and were not competent to possess a gun under current law. It is common sense for gun owners to be required to go under a mental health evaluation to protect themselves, families, and others from a tragic event involving firearms.”
“Gun violence is a public health issue that we can, and must, change,” said Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon (D-Brooklyn). “The public health threat from guns isn’t just from mass shootings, but also from suicides, domestic violence, and accidental deaths. Public policies related to major health and social concerns such as motor vehicle accidents, cancer, heart disease, and tobacco have benefitted from in-depth research. New York State needs a center for gun violence research to ensure a long-term effort towards understanding and preventing future gun-related violence. In addition, we need a primary gun violence prevention program and curriculum in the schools that teaches victim prevention and non-violent conflict resolution skills. My bills are designed to do exactly that, and I’m proud that these bills will join the Caucus’s comprehensive suite of gun violence prevention bills. We must reduce the heavy toll that gun violence inflicts upon our communities.”
“We’ve been advocating for a fully-funded Gun Violence Research Institute (GVRI) in New York State for several years now,” said Senator Roxanne J. Persaud (D-Brooklyn). “While the scourge of firearm violence is in no way unique to New York, there is a great need for empirical research and evidence-based program development based on the root causes and variables that make our gun violence epidemic more serious. The evidence is right here in our state, as is the research capacity, we just need the will.”
“Too many people in this country have lost their lives to gun violence. We know that too often guns end up in community neighborhoods because they are not kept safe by the original owner. This bill will put in place measures aimed at the safe storage of firearms and ammunition,” noted Assembly Member Chantel Jackson (D-Bronx). “The proposed legislation will also ensure those seeking to own a firearm are ready to be responsible gun owners by being mentally prepared and receive adequate training.”
“Currently, under Federal law, only individuals who have fled from one state to another for the purpose of evading prosecution while subject to an active arrest warrant would be prohibited from purchasing a firearm. This created a federal loophole where individuals with an active arrest warrant who remain in state are not prohibited from purchasing firearms,” said Assemblymember Amy Paulin (D-Westchester). “This bill closes that loophole – which should never have been. We must continue to work on changing the gun culture in our country and simultaneously pass legislation such as this which effectuates that change.”
“Though New York has some of the strongest gun laws in the nation, those who can not legally purchase guns in the state based on age or criminal background often turn to the black market,” said Assemblyman Charles Lavine (D-Nassau County). “The danger posed to our citizens in the event that any number of firearms legally manufactured and not legally sold or distributed is painfully obvious.”
Senate Majority Deputy Leader, Senator Michael Gianaris (D-Queens) said, “Gun violence is an epidemic the State Senate is committed to addressing head on. This legislation would curb gun violence and enhance the safety of all New Yorkers. I am proud to see my bill requiring gun owners to carry safety training credentials included in this important package of bills.”
“Each June, Gun Violence Awareness Month gives us a chance to reflect on the trauma and destruction wrought by gun violence—and on the work we can do together to stop it,” said state Senator Brian Kavanagh (D-Manhattan) “Thanks in large part to strong gun laws we’ve enacted over the years, New York has one of the lowest rates of gun related deaths in America. At the same time, we know that gun violence is still all too common, and we grieve every senseless death. I am proud to join my colleagues in the Caucus in support of this legislative package, which would represent a huge leap forward in our efforts to safeguard the lives and wellbeing of all New Yorkers, and would serve as a model for the nation. And I thank the Caucus for including my bill with Assemblymember Paulin to prevent those who have an outstanding warrant for a felony or serious offense from obtaining a gun.”
“Guns are lethal weapons not toys,” said Assemblymember Tom Abinanti (D-Westchester). “They need to be treated as weapons and restricted to mentally stable adults.”
“This bill closes a loophole that could allow for a police officer without proper training to carry a firearm. Even retired officers are required to complete annual training. Active-duty police officers should be held to the highest possible standards given their ability to carry and use firearms. Thank you to the Caucus for making this piece of legislation a priority for Gun Violence Awareness Day,” said Assemblymember Harvey Epstein (D-Manhattan)
Senator Brad Hoylman (D-Manhattan) said: “Gun violence is a public health crisis that has devastated our communities and our families for decades. As legislators, we must invest in the resources to prevent gun violence and hold those who are profiting off that violence accountable. I am grateful for the work that the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic & Asian Legislative Caucus is doing to address this issue head on, and I am proud to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Caucus to advance these vital pieces of legislation.”
“The safety of our communities and the police officers who serve them hinge on officers receiving proper and vital training to fulfill their obligations. Mandating annual firearm training for officers who carry firearms during their official duties is a necessary step in enhancing the well-being of both officers and our communities,” said Senator Jamaal Bailey (D-Bronx). “Today, there is no compulsory firearm training needed after the basic training course for police officers is completed. Along with this, under current law, police officers can carry a firearm while on duty without training for up to a year. This practice is an immense danger to the public as improper knowledge and lack of training on firearm use can have grave consequences. I am proud to have sponsored this bill in the Senate as it is a necessary change that protects officers and the public.”
“I would like to thank my colleagues for their work on this legislative package that will keep our communities safe from gun violence and will hold the firearm industry accountable,” said Senator Rachel May (D-Syracuse). “As a State, we must ensure that only responsible and qualified individuals will be able to legally possess a weapon, while also ensuring that the firearm industry will be liable for the violence and destruction wrought by their products in the illegal firearms market.”
Senator Anna M. Kaplan (D-Nassau County) said: “We have an epidemic of gun violence in this country, and it’s going to take all of us working together on common-sense solutions to stop it. I’m proud to sponsor legislation that will attack the problem of illegal guns in our communities through better data collection to help law enforcement, and through closing dangerous loopholes that criminals use to get their hands on untraceable weapons. Our communities can’t wait any longer, and on this National Gun Violence Awareness Day, we’re taking action and delivering results.”
Legislative Package:
Keeping Our Communities Safe
· S.3518/A.4937 (Bailey/Epstein)
· A.7246/S.1192-A (Richardson/Gianaris)
· A.7302/S.2981 (Simon/Persaud)
· A.2170/S.1012 (Simon/Benjamin)
· S.3018/A.7771 (Parker/Jackson)
Holding the Industry Accountable
· A.6198-B/S.5000-B (Paulin/Kavanagh)
· A.3829/S.1605 (Abinanti/Sanders)
The New York State Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic, and Asian Legislative Caucus is a sixty-eight-member body of state legislators representing a quarter of residents across the State of New York from Long Island, the metro New York City area, and upstate.
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