A New York elected official on Monday touted the success of anti-gun legislation she says has helped put more than 200 firearm-peddlers behind bars since its enactment.
Flanked by members of the New York City Police Department and prosecutors from across the five boroughs, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand announced the findings of a new report that suggests the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, signed into law last year, has had a dramatic impact in getting guns off of city streets.
“Today I’m releasing an original report that actually takes account of all the progress that has been made,” Gillibrand said outside of Police Headquarters in Lower Manhattan. “Since the passage of this bipartisan law, this gun trafficking statute has been used to prosecute more than 200 defendants across at least 20 states.”
Gillibrand’s report also says that, since the law took effect, police have seized more than 1,300 illegal guns — 190 of which were reportedly AR-15s or AR-style weapons, and 151 of them ghost guns. According to police sources, ghost guns are especially dangerous since large portions of the firearms can be 3D printed, allowing almost anyone with the inexpensive machinery to become an arms dealer.
The findings further revealed that over $750 million has been distributed to finance mental and behavioral health services nationwide, which Gillibrand touted will also support the hiring of over 14,000 new mental health professionals in schools.
Despite the lauded successes, it wasn’t easy sailing when it came to passing the bill, the pol recalled.
Gillibrand first introduced the act in 2009 after 17-year-old Nyasia Pryear-Yard was shot and killed in Brooklyn by a stray bullet from an illegally trafficked gun. At the time, gun trafficking was not a federal crime. On Monday, Gillibrand lamented that the law wasn’t passed sooner, maintaining that the holdup stemmed from conservatives who struggled to pull the trigger since they couldn’t come to an agreement on the bill’s fine print.
“I think it could have passed earlier if it wasn’t a priority that all things related to gun violence would be included, and I think the the scourge of gun deaths became so unbearable, that people were finally willing to sit down at the table,” Gillibrand said.
Yet, even as she lauded the bill’s success, the senator told press on Monday that “there’s much more work to be done.”
“We still want to ban assault rifles, large magazines, who want more investment and refinement of the background check system,” she said. “We want to make sure our red flag laws are even more nuanced in each state that has them, so yes, there’s more work to be done.”
NYPD Assistant Chief Jason Savino also said the legislation has gone a long way helping law enforcement make a difference on the ground. According to Chief Savino, 300 fewer people have been shot so far in 2023 when compared to 2022.
Staten Island District Attorney Michael McMahon, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg also joined together to praise the bill’s significance so far on the streets of New York City.
“In Manhattan, our gun prosecutions are up 20%, focusing in conjunction with NYPD on those who drive that violence and we’re starting to see really, really strong results,” Bragg said. “[There has been a] 20% reduction in shootings in Manhattan this year, and that’s on top of a 22% reduction last year, and that’s due in large part to the senator helping give us the tools we need to keep New Yorkers safe.”
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