New York State Passes Eight Gun Violence Prevention Bills

The Historic Legislative Session Illustrates The Empire State’s Continued Commitment To Freeing America From Gun Violence.

WASHINGTON, June 10, 2024 – The New York State Legislature just closed its legislative session which was marked by the passage of eight gun violence prevention bills. Brady, the nation’s oldest gun violence prevention organization, partnered with legislators and worked with grassroots activists, including youth activists from Team ENOUGH, to advocate for the bills.

“This has been a historic session for gun violence prevention in New York State. These bills address multiple facets of this uniquely American epidemic. With these policy changes, we will see gun industry reforms and culture change surrounding firearms,” said Brady President Kris Brown. “The gun violence epidemic is largely fueled by a pernicious gun industry that has few checks on its power due to federal legislation the gun lobby fought to enact. Now, in New York, the industry will be held accountable for their deadly marketing of Glock switches to prevent the use or installation of conversion devices, auto-sears, and forced reset triggers, which increase the lethality of firearms.”

“The enactment of a merchant category code system will also enable law enforcement to detect individuals who are potentially building an arsenal to carry out a terrorist attack or illegal trafficking,” continued Brown. “This will be crucial to thwart attacks and break apart the pipelines of firearms that are supplying the criminal market. New York’s upstream solutions do not stop with merchant category codes. Cycles of violence will be broken thanks to increasing anti-violence education in schools and through funding for a public awareness campaign for safe storage, preventing family fire – including firearm suicide – throughout the Empire State.”

“Policy alone will not end gun violence, but policies that help to ignite culture change are a crucial step towards a future free from gun violence,” said Brown. “The bills passed will promote a culture of safety by requiring New York’s federally licensed gun dealers to display proper signage warning of the danger of firearms in all locations. And with an expansion of Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPOs) and an update to the statewide registry, more New Yorkers can use these lifesaving tools to help loved ones in crisis pause to heal.”

“Brady is grateful to our partners in the New York State Assembly for their leadership in making this successful session a reality,” finished Brown. “New York sets the example for statehouses across the country, so their commitment to ending gun violence has ripple effects throughout our nation. We look forward to these bills being signed into law as swiftly as possible.”