Wednesday, January 30, 2019

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH: DINOWITZ APPLAUDS ASSEMBLY ON PASSING LANDMARK GUN REFORM PACKAGE


The gun reform package passed by both chambers of the legislature includes red flag legislation, prohibition of arming teachers, ban on bump stocks, and more.

  There have been almost 2,000 mass shooting incidents in the United States since New York passed the SAFE Act following the Sandy Hook tragedy in December 2012,[1] inspiring nationwide protests and calls to action for widespread gun reforms from legislators such as Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz. On Tuesday, the New York State legislature approved a package of new regulations on firearms which are expected to be signed into law by the Governor. The legislative package passed includes two high-priority bills which had previously passed the Assembly regarding prohibition of “bump stocks” which circumvent regulations on automatic weapons and the establishment of extreme risk protection orders which are commonly referred to as “red flag” orders.

The legislation passed Tuesday accomplishes the following goals:

· Establish extreme risk protection orders via temporary court-issued orders of protection for persons believed to pose a severe threat of harm, such as the Parkland, FL school shooter
· Prohibit devices that modify firearms to allow for rapid-firing, as was used in the 2017 Las Vegas shooting
· Prevent schools from arming classroom teachers with weapons
· Extend background check periods to 30 days, closing the “Charleston Loophole”
· Establish a statewide municipal gun buyback program
· Ensure out-of-state citizens with homes in NY are subject to the same background check of mental health records as New Yorkers

Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz said: “Washington DC, Charleston, Roseburg, San Bernardino, Orlando, Las Vegas, Sutherland Springs, Parkland, Thousand Oaks, Pittsburgh, and too many others: We have said ‘Never Again’ too many times. Despite New York having some of the strongest gun control laws in the nation, loopholes and technological advances have laid bare our need to do more. After years of various legislative proposals being blocked by quislings of the NRA in the (now) State Senate minority, I am incredibly proud that we were able to reestablish New York’s rightful place in setting the national tone on how to combat gun violence. The Assembly has long led the way on gun control, and this package demonstrates our determination to continue fighting for safe communities.”

[1] “After Sandy Hook, we said never again. And then we let ____  mass shootings happen.” German Lopez and Kavya Sukumar, Vox Magazine. Updated January 27, 2019, Accessed January 28, 2019. https://www.vox.com/a/mass-shootings-america-sandy-hook-gun-violence

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