MAYOR ADAMS LEADS COALITION OF MORE THAN 60 MAYORS IN URGING U.S. HOUSE SPEAKER JOHNSON TO PASS ASSAULT WEAPONS BAN

 

Letter to Speaker Johnson Follows Mass Shooting in Lewiston, Maine, Where Shooter Used Assault Weapon To Kill 18 and Wound 13 More 

 

Mayors: “Congress Must Act To Get Weapons of War Off Our Streets” 

Following another mass shooting in recent weeks — this time in Lewiston, Maine, where 18 people were killed and 13 more were injured by a shooter with an assault rifle — New York City Mayor Eric Adams today led a coalition of 62 mayors from cities across the nation in drafting a letter urging new Speaker of the House U.S. Representative Mike Johnson to pass a strong federal assault weapons ban. The signatories include mayors of cities like Buffalo, New York and Highland Park, Illinois that have experienced mass shootings perpetrated with assault weapons. 

 

“In some states in this country, it’s easier to buy a weapon of war than it is to buy a Sudafed,” said Mayor Adams. “As a result, we can’t feel safe in the places where we should feel safest — our movie theaters, our music festivals, our houses of worship, and even our schools. Just a few weeks ago, 18 Mainers were stolen from us by yet another disturbed man, wielding an assault rifle that had no business on our streets. And no matter how strong some state gun laws are, we’re only as safe as the weakest link. We will continue to work tirelessly in New York City and in cities across the nation to drive shootings down and prevent every form of gun violence — whether it’s the mass shootings that make the headlines or the daily gun violence and gun suicides that don’t. But we need our partners in Washington, DC to do their part as well. That’s why we’re coming together to let Speaker Johnson know that we need a federal ban on assault weapons now.”  

 

“Weapons of war have no place on the streets of New York City or anywhere else in the nation,” said First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright, co-chair, Gun Violence Prevention Task Force. “In the fight to end gun violence and save lives, we must use every tool at our disposal, including the power of Congress. This administration stands in solidarity with this coalition to deliver real action and results in stopping mass shootings.” 

 

"It doesn’t take a career law enforcement professional to understand that assault weapons have no place on our streets and that we must prioritize the safety and well-being of our communities above all else,” said Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Phillip Banks III. “In the wake of another horrific mass shooting, we must redouble our efforts to prevent these senseless tragedies and pass this commonsense measure to create a safer America for all. An assault weapons ban made our streets safer once before; it can do so again." 

 

“Semiautomatic assault weapons — designed solely to kill as many people as quickly and efficiently as possible — have no place in our communities because they pose an obvious, outsized risk to our police officers and all the people we serve,” said New York City Police Department (NYPD) Commissioner Edward A. Caban. “Passing a federal assault weapons ban is a crucial step toward ensuring that our cities do not surrender the crime-fighting gains of recent years. Failing to act means that gang members, drug dealers, terrorists, and others will continue to have ready access to these weapons of war.” 

 

“From mass shootings in Maine and Texas to everyday gun violence, communities are being torn apart by these heinous acts. As President Biden has said, this is not normal, and it does not have to be this way. This Biden-Harris administration and the Office of Gun Violence Prevention is committed to taking every step we can to invest in proven solutions and implement laws like the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act,” said White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention Deputy Director Rob Wilcox. “But we continue to call on Congress to pass more commonsense gun laws, such as reinstating the ban on assault weapons, passing universal background checks, and enacting a national red flag law to save lives. We can and must do more to protect individuals, families and kids from this epidemic of gun violence.” 

 

Of the 10 deadliest mass shootings that have taken place since 2015, eight involved an assault weapon. Between 1994 and 2004 — when the federal assault weapons ban was in effect — there were 137 mass shooting deaths; but in the 10 years after the ban expired, there were 326. Mass shooting deaths were 70 percent less likely to occur when the federal prohibition on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines was in effect. While New York State does have strong gun laws, including a prohibition on assault weapons, those weapons are legal in nearby states, including Rhode Island, Vermont, and Pennsylvania, and they can easily be brought across state lines. 

 

The Adams administration has systematically driven down homicides and shootings in New York City through an approach that utilizes both prevention and intervention strategies. This summer, Mayor Adams’ Gun Violence Prevention Task Force released “A Blueprint for Public Safety,” outlining a forward-thinking roadmap with upstream solutions to address gun violence throughout the five boroughs. The report built upon all the work the Adams administration has undertaken to reduce gun violence by double digits and culminated months of engagement with communities most impacted by gun violence, including young people, whose feedback was critical in shaping the strategies and recommendations that will ensure the city continues to build on the public safety gains made since January 2022. 

 

Co-chaired by First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright and Man Up! Inc. Founder A.T. Mitchell, the task force represents a multi-agency, cross-sector effort to address the root causes of gun violence and develop recommendations to promote long-term safety across all communities. As part of this effort, more than 50 members of the task force, representing 20 city agencies, engaged roughly 1,500 community residents over the course of spring 2023 through community convenings and youth town halls. 

 

In his first month in office, in January 2022, Mayor Adams released the “Blueprint to End Gun Violence” — laying out his priorities to immediately address the crisis of guns on New York City streets. In March 2022, Mayor Adams and the NYPD also created Neighborhood Safety Teams to focus on gun violence prevention, and, early in the administration, Mayor Adams funded the city’s Crisis Management System — which brings teams of credible messengers to mediate conflicts on the street and connect high-risk individuals to services that can reduce the long-term risk of violence — at a record $86 million for Fiscal Year 2024. Over the course of the administration, the NYPD has removed nearly 13,000 illegal guns from New York City streets.