City Council Member Costa Constantinides and Council Members Ritchie Torres announced today’s introduction of legislation guaranteeing community access and mandating a community notification requirement within the City’s gun offender registry. Constantinides and Torres were joined by bill co-sponsor Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.
Constantinides said, “This online gun offender registry bill will promote public safety and guarantee our communities are notified when a registered gun offender lives within their neighborhood. Gun violence is a public policy challenge which requires a multitude of solutions. Protecting the public’s right to know their neighbor is an essential building block of fostering stronger community relations. The Gun Offender Registry bill will better equip our city in the effort to combat and eradicate gun violence.”
Torres said, “We must take every measure to stem the tide of gun violence in New York City. This bill will create a commonsense crime-fighting tool that provides both law-enforcement and community members with real-time information on violent gun-offenders in their neighborhoods.”
Diaz said, “A safer New York State, and a safer nation, demands that we shine a light on those individuals who would commit gun crimes in our neighborhoods. An easily-accessible gun crime registry will serve as an excellent tool not only to keep neighborhoods informed about crime, but to serve as a deterrent from such acts. I am proud to stand with my colleagues today to reintroduce this legislation, which I first proposed in my 2013 ‘State of the Borough’ address, and I look forward to seeing it become law.”
From January 2013 to July of this year, there have been 1,400 shooting incidents and there have been 1,190 shooting victims.
The bill mandates that registered gun offenders will be listed in a publicly available online sub-directory, which will provide a searchable database. Individuals can sign up for free automatic email notifications when an offender moves into a geographic area they specified.
The registry will be updated on a monthly basis and will include: the offender’s name, block on which they live, a physical description, the crime the offender was convicted of, and sentence imposed. Gun offenders are required to be registered for only four years from the date of release or after conviction, after which their names are expunged.
The bill sponsors were joined in support by their colleagues, along with other elected officials and community groups.
“As we expand our City’s efforts to reduce gun violence and make New York a safer place to live, all New Yorkers should be assured that they will have access to up-to-date information that will assist them in protecting their families,” Council Member Vanessa L. Gibson, chair of the Council’s Public Safety, said. “Ensuring access to accurate information about convicted gun offenders, this legislation is a creative approach to enhancing the array of options available to every New Yorker as we join together to combat gun violence.”
“By making the existing gun offender registry public we are telling these criminals that they are no longer just being watched by the police, but by everyone. I am confident that this step will help fight the increased gun violence I have seen in my district and act as a safety measure for families concerned about their safety in their own neighborhoods. We must be willing to work together, with our fellow elected officials, the police department and community organizations to ensure that our neighbors are able to access this resource. Together we will show that gun violence is not tolerated in our community and never will be,” said Council Member Andrew Cohen.
"New York residents deserve access to any information that will help them lead safer lives and give them the tools to better protect their families. By allowing for community access and mandating community notification to the City's gun offender registry we will give our citizens the knowledge they need to make smart choices. I stand with my colleagues in government in fighting for this vital piece of legislation," said State Senate Co-Leader Jeff Klein.
