The federal Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) plays a critical role in helping state and local governments stop illegal guns — and they need a big funding boost in order to come to New York’s aid, according to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
During a Sunday morning press conference, the New York senator said he’s seeking $1.5 billion in the next federal budget to fund the ATF’s operations which, he noted, are critical toward addressing the epidemic of gun violence in the city.
“The ATF will need these resources and these dollars to take on trafficking, disrupt the Iron Pipeline, and focus in on New York, Long Island and beyond,” Schumer said on Jan. 30. “As budget negotiations continue, this priority will remain on the front burner. We know what the scourge of gun violence does to a community, and it is even more tragic when so many, the vast majority, of these crime guns come from outside of New York.”
Schumer’s announcement comes days after New York state held the first meeting of its new Interstate Task Force on Illegal Guns, formed at a time when New York City is reeling from a spate of shootings. That includes the double murder of two Harlem police officers, Jason Rivera and Wilbert Mora, who were gunned down on Jan. 21 while responding to a domestic dispute in Harlem.
The weapon that the suspect, Lashawn McNeil, used to kill them was reported stolen in Baltimore in 2017, police officials said, and equipped with an illegal cartridge holding up to 40 rounds of ammo.
Along with combating the flow of illegal firearms and ghost guns into New York, Schumer said, the additional ATF funding would also be used to support the Department of Justice’s special strike force focusing on suspects connected to gun crimes in New York and elsewhere.
Schumer’s funding push comes just a few days before President Joe Biden is scheduled to travel to New York City to meet with Mayor Eric Adams about turning the tide on gun violence. The Senate majority leader is hopeful the president will also outline additional plans to assist the city and state in stopping gun crimes.
“One thing is certain here: without the $1.5 billion I am pushing for in this upcoming budget for the ATF, these plans will not have their full impact, and we need full impact to address the flow of these crime guns in our communities and across the state,” Schumer concluded.
