The Gun Violence Problem
When felons, the adjudicated mentally ill, domestic violence criminals and other prohibited people have such easy access to firearms, something is terribly wrong. Mothers, fathers and children die every day in America because guns are in the wrong hands. More American citizens were killed by guns in the last thirty years than were killed in all the battles in all the wars our Nation has fought since 1775.
On a bright April day in 2007, 32 students and faculty were murdered by a mentally ill student with a high powered weapon at Virginia Tech. Americans are murdered with guns at the rate of 32 people a day- gone because of guns in the wrong hands. No matter how you analyze the problem the results are clear: gun violence occurs with alarming regularity all across the country. And if guns are in the wrong hands, the gun violence will continue.
Yet Washington and Albany continue to ignore the death and injury and the suffering of thousands of families. In fact, the Washington and Albany culture of 'never do today what you can put off until tomorrow' has made the problem worse.
New York has strong sensible gun laws intended to keep us safe, but we are punished by the weak gun laws of other states and non-existent and lax enforcement of laws at the federal level. All Americans deserve the right to be safe and free from gun violence but the reckless inaction of elected officials threatens that freedom. Read below to learn more about the causes of gun violence, how lax policies impact New York and the sensible solutions NYAGV is fighting for.
NY: Supporting and Defending the New York SAFE Act
In January, 2013, Governor Cuomo signed the New York SAFE Act—Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement Act—giving New York one of the strongest gun safety laws in the country, with provisions to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous individuals and to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. (Click here for a summary of the... Read More
NY: Microstamping to Help Law Enforcement Solve Gun Crimes
THE PROBLEM: Gun crimes provide criminals with the safety of distance and often result in fewer witnesses and less crime scene evidence than other types of crimes. The deadly threat of gun crimes also frequently instills fear of retaliation in witnesses and discourages them from coming forward. Homicides using weapons have a national clearance rate... Read More
NY: Child Access Prevention
PROBLEM: Researchers have found that millions of children live in homes with easily accessible guns. The presence of unlocked guns in the home increases the risk of accidental gun injuries, intentional shootings and suicides. New York State currently has no law specifically penalizing a person who enables a child to access a firearm. SOLUTION: Child... Read More
Federal: Strengthen Gun Trafficking Laws and Enforcement
PROBLEM: Each year thousands of guns purchased legally make their way into the hands of criminals through straw purchasers* and corrupt dealers. Insufficient federal enforcement enables corrupt dealers to stay in business. The U.S. Senate voted down an amendment to strengthen gun trafficking laws in April 2013. SOLUTION: Strengthen enforcement against gun dealers who skirt... Read More
Federal: Bans on Assault Weapons and High Capacity Magazines
PROBLEM: Since the expiration of the assault weapons ban in 2004, there has been a proliferation of militarized assault weapons capable of holding 20, 30, 40, or even 100 rounds in a single ammunition magazine. These assault weapons and high capacity magazines have been used in a number of mass shootings, including the recent tragedy... Read More
Federal: Universal Background Checks
PROBLEM: A gaping hole in federal law enables dangerous individuals to avoid background checks altogether by purchasing firearms from private sellers, at gun shows and through online gun sites that are not required to perform background checks on buyers. In addition, due to lax enforcement in some states, millions of records of violent offenders and... Read More
