MAYOR BLOOMBERG ANNOUNCES FORMATION OF NEW YORK CHAPTER OF STATE LEGISLATORS AGAINST ILLEGAL GUNS

Over 50 New York State Legislators Join New Group

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and New York State Senator Eric T. Schneiderman today announced the formation of the New York chapter of State Legislators Against Illegal Guns. The newly-formed New York chapter, over 50 members strong, will be part of a broad coalition of state legislators working to develop common sense policies to keep guns out of the hands of criminals. The New York chapter was announced at a summit meeting held at Gracie Mansion attended by over two dozen state legislators, including representatives from legislatures across the country. Mayor Bloomberg, Senator Schneiderman and the legislators were joined at the summit by Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly, Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association President Patrick Lynch and New York State Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith.

“Stopping the flow of illegal weapons into our cities and towns requires action at every level of government,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “Cities can do a lot, but Washington must also act – especially in ways that allow local law enforcement to identify and go after the handful of rogue gun dealers who sell weapons to criminals and gun traffickers. State legislators must act too – because research, and results, across the nation show that effective state laws make a real difference.  In New York State, a top priority ought to be the passage of micro-stamping legislation, a twenty-first century technology that would help police across our state develop leads at crime scenes to catch shooting suspects.”

“Gun violence affects us all- white or black, rich or poor, illegal guns terrorize neighborhoods and tear apart families,” said Senate Majority Leader Malcolm A. Smith.  “For too long, the deadly specter of illegal guns have gone unchecked. In cities across the state, our children are dying at the hands of gun violence, but thanks to leaders like Mayor Bloomberg and my colleagues in the State Senate who joined me to launch Operation SNUG, a revolutionary gun violence prevention program, we can put a stop to that deadly trend now and return our streets to their rightful owners, the people of New York.”

“The effort to end gun violence is a fight that extends beyond city, state or partisan lines. As legislators representing urban, suburban and rural areas, we are united by a common purpose – to save lives and make New York safer,” said Senator Schneiderman. “We have a responsibility to give law enforcement officials all the tools they need to combat illegal guns and punish lawbreakers. The time to act is now.”

State Legislators Against Illegal Guns is a bi-partisan coalition of legislators representing suburban, rural and urban districts from around the country, united by a commitment to public safety that extends beyond political and regional boundaries.  Modeled after Mayors Against Illegal Guns – the national coalition of Mayors co-chaired by Mayor Bloomberg and Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino – the coalition of state legislators recognizes that there are no one-size-fits-all solutions for the diverse districts that its members represent. 

Similar to Mayors Against Illegal Guns, the coalition is organized around a shared Statement of Principles focused on addressing the problem of criminals have easy access to illegal guns.  Mayors Against Illegal Guns released a report in December 2008 showing that states that have common sense laws targeting illegal guns are sources of guns recovered in out-of-state crimes at less than half the rate of states that lack those laws.

The founding members of State Legislators Against Illegal Guns are New York State Senator Eric Schneiderman (D); Florida State Representative Evan Jenne (D); Kansas State Representative Thomas C. “Tim” Owens (R); Nebraska State Senator Brad Ashford (R); Pennsylvania State Representative Cherelle L. Parker (D) and Illinois Representative Elizabeth Coulson (R).

“Illegal firearms are a plague on my city, Omaha, and Mayor Bloomberg’s effort to organize a concerted effort to stop illegal transportation and use of firearms is a critical issue for us,” said Nebraska State Senator Brad Ashford.  “I am so pleased to be a part of this collaboration.”

“It’s exciting to be part of an effort to bring together state legislators from big cities and small towns from all political parties united by the common goal of keeping guns out of the hands of criminals,” said Pennsylvania State Representative Cherelle Parker. “That’s exactly what we are working on in Pennsylvania and I am excited to be part of a national conversation to promote common sense legislation to target illegal gun trafficking.”

The legislators at today’s summit heard from gun policy experts including Nina Vinik of The Joyce Foundation, Dr. Daniel Webster of John Hopkins University, and Josh Horowitz, the Executive Director of the Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence and an expert on micro-stamping.  Dr. Webster moderated a panel discussion on recently developed ballistics technology, background checks, and gun licensing procedures that can be used to control the spread of illegal firearms.  Nina Vinik addressed strategies individual states can pursue when targeting illegal guns. Also speaking at the summit was John Feinblatt, the Mayor’s Criminal Justice Coordinator, who described opportunities for collaboration between legislators at the national level.

The founding members of the New York chapter of State Legislators Against Illegal Guns are:

1. Senator Eric Adams
2. Senator Neil Breslin
3. Senator Thomas Duane
4. Senator Ruth Hassell-Thompson
5. Senator Craig Johnson
6. Senator Liz Krueger
7. Senator Velmanette Montgomery
8. Senator George Onorato
9. Senator Suzi Oppenheimer
10. Senator Kevin Parker
11. Senator Bill Perkins
12. Senator Eric Schneiderman
13. Senator Jose Serrano
14. Senator Malcolm Smith
15. Senator Daniel Squadron
16. Senator Toby Stavisky
17. Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins
18. Senator Antoine Thompson
19. Senator John Sampson
20. Assemblymember Michael Benjamin
21. Assemblymember Jonathan L. Bing
22. Assemblymember James Brennan
23. Assemblymember Karim Camara
24. Assemblymember Barbara Clark
25. Assemblymember William Colton
26. Assemblymember Steven Cymbrowitz
27. Assemblymember Jeffrey Dinowitz
28. Assemblymember Patricia Eddington
29. Assemblymember Steven Englebright
30. Assemblymember Adriano Espaillat
31. Assemblymember Herman D. Farrell
32. Assemblymember Michael Gianaris
33. Assemblymember Deborah Glick
34. Assemblymember Richard Gottfried
35. Assemblymember Carl Heastie
36. Assemblymember Earlene Hooper
37. Assemblymember Sam Hoyt
38. Assemblymember Ellen Jaffee
39. Assemblymember Brian Kavanagh
40. Assemblymember Micah Kellner
41. Assemblymember David Koon
42. Assemblymember Charles Lavine
43. Assemblymember Barbara Lifton
44. Assemblymember Nettie Mayersohn
45. Assemblymember Daniel O’Donnell
46. Assemblymember Amy Paulin
47. Assemblymember Nick Perry
48. Assemblymember Audrey Pheffer
49. Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal
50. Assemblymember Michelle Schimel
51. Assemblymember Mark Weprin
52. Assemblymember Harvey Weisenberg