PRESS RELEASE                                                                                          Contact: Andy Pelosi     212-679-2345

(New York, NY) New Yorkers Against Gun Violence and its Youth Chapter ReACTiON Gun Violence, Million Mom March members and City Council members rallied at City Hall today. They called for swift passage of two proposed City Council bills introduced recently by Councilmember David Yassky (Brooklyn 33) and sponsored by 11 additional councilmembers. The bills are designed to pressure gun manufacturers to assist in stopping illegal gun trafficking by following a specific code of conduct.

• Under INTRO 208, New York City government will use its position as a major purchaser of guns for its law enforcement agencies to encourage gun manufacturers to comply with a specific code of conduct by only purchasing firearms from companies in compliance. Intro 208 will not interfere with law enforcement. If these standards are not met by any manufacturer, the city can continue to purchase weapons from non complying companies until more than one supplier meets the code of conduct.

• Under INTRO 210, a gun manufacturer will be liable to the City of New York for a civil penalty and punitive damages if a city employee is killed or injured with a weapon produced by the manufacturer and used by a person not lawfully authorized to possess the weapon. This liability will not apply to manufacturers who comply with a specific code of conduct.

Gun trafficking contributes dramatically to crime in New York City and New York State. According to Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms reports, most crime guns in New York City were illegally trafficked. In 1999, 80% of guns used in crime in New York City came from out-of-state; in 2000 this rose to 84%. For youth ages 24 and younger, 93% of crime guns originated outside New York State. Moreover, Corrupt dealers are responsible for the largest total number of illegally diverted firearms, as compared to other trafficking channels. Just 1.2% of dealers accounted for over 57 percent of crime guns traced to federally licensed dealers in 1998.

There are many ways that gun manufacturers could assist in the effort to stop the illegal trafficking of firearms. The code of conduct specified in Intro 208 describes demands that gun manufacturers should make on their distributors. They include:

• not selling weapons to dealers who have sold more than 20 weapons in any 12-month period in the past five years that have been used in crimes or illegally possessed.

• not selling weapons at a gun show without a background check and unless all other sellers at the gun show also conduct mandatory background checks.
• selling only to dealers who maintain a fixed address for their store, an electronic database including specs of all guns held in inventory or for sale and the names and registrations of all gun buyers.
• providing full access to records to law enforcement and government regulators.
• limiting purchases by any person to one weapon per 30 days.
• implementing a security plan for securing weapons in transit.

Into 210 provides an additional incentive for gun manufacturers to adopt the code of conduct by making the manufacturer liable for crimes committed with their products against City employees, if the manufacturer has not adopted the code of conduct.

"Michael Rivera, a high school student and member of NYAGV’s reACTiOn Gun Violence said, "Guns that come here illegally are killing my friends. If these bills were made law, gun manufacturers could help stop the killing."

Andy Pelosi, Executive Director of New Yorkers Against Gun Violence, said, "This legislation is novel in its approach and uses the consumer power of the City of New York in an attempt to alter the way gun manufacturers market their firearms and to whom they sell their wares. It could serve as a model for other localities around this state and across the country. We strongly support these bills and ask the City Council to pass them."

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