Issues
With a primary focus on New York State and its residents, NYAGV advocates at all levels of government for laws, policies and practices that protect New Yorkers from gun violence.
Below are the common-sense gun measures that NYAGV is currently advocating for.
See NYAGV's Take Action page on how you can help advocate for these and other measures to reduce gun violence.
NY: Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPO)
PROBLEM: We’ve seen way too often how when an individual in crisis has access to guns, the result is often deadly–whether it’s a suicide of a loved one or a mass shooting of scores of innocent people. Individuals in crisis often exhibit “red flag” behavior or other warning signs indicating that they are dangerous to themselves or others. ... Read More
Federal: Federally Mandated Concealed Carry
PROBLEM: Both houses of Congress are considering a dangerous legislation, federally mandated Concealed Carry Reciprocity (H.R.38/ S.446), which would require New York and other strong gun law states to recognize the concealed carry permits of gun owners from all other states–no matter how weak their gun laws. Read More
NY: Safe Storage/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: New York... Read More
NY: Gun Trafficking
PROBLEM: Illegal firearms continue to flood New York neighborhoods. These guns often originate in states with weak gun laws that allow individuals to purchase guns in large quantities and traffic them into our state. Dishonest gun dealers—both outside and within New York State—are also major sources of illegal guns. Recent data from the Bureau of... 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
Federal: Expanding Background Checks
PROBLEM: A loophole in federal law enables dangerous individuals to avoid background checks by purchasing firearms from private sellers at gun shows and on internet 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 mentally ill and violent offenders... 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
