Gun Violence Prevention

The United States has an issue with the illegal use of firearms, this cannot be denied. According to the National Center for Injury Prevention & Control and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, guns took the lives of 32,163 Americans in homicides, suicides and unintentional shootings in 2011. This is the equivalent of approximately 88 deaths each day and almost 4 deaths each hour. Additionally, 73,505 Americans were treated in hospital emergency rooms for non-fatal gunshot wounds in 2010. As we consider these statistics, we must also recognize that they do not take into account the hundreds of thousands of lives that are impacted by gun violence as it ripples across our communities.

Furthermore, according to the US Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Division of Vital Statistics, the United States had 3.6 gun-related homicides, and 5.1 overall homicides per 100,000 people in 2011. These statistics, while eye opening on their own, are truly shocking when compared to other Western developed nations with comprehensive gun legislation. The United Kingdom, one of our oldest and closest allies and a country with a rich and vibrant culture like our own, is reported to have a rate of .07 homicides due to guns per 100,000 people - a rate over 50 times lower than the United States. Its homicide rate overall is also reported to be 1.2 per 100,000 people, suggesting that there is a definite correlation between easy access to firearms and their propensity to aggravate the outcome of violent crime.

While New York has relatively strong gun safety laws - at least in comparison to other states - much of the nation does little to address gun safety. The illegal trafficking of weapons across state lines, therefore, continues to be one of the most salient factors perpetuating gun violence in New York. According to 2010 statistics from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, 66.5% of guns used in crimes in New York originated from other states compared to the national average of 29.8%.  These statistics reinforce the absolute necessity of passing federal legislation that addresses firearm acquisition and illegal trafficking on a national level.

In recent years, we have far too often seen the devastating and heartbreaking effects of our lax approach to gun safety. From an unstable man attacking Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, killing six men, women, and children simply at the supermarket meeting their Congresswoman, to the recurring incidence of mass shootings of the young and innocent in our schools and public places, our nation has seen time and time again the horrendous tragedy that results when we allow access to firearms without taking into consideration the intent of the individual seeking to obtain a weapon. This is clear not only to me, but to millions of Americans who are reaching out to their elected officials, signing petitions, and working diligently to enact comprehensive gun violence prevention legislation in this country.

We are in need of a national solution and I stand in solidarity with my constituents, my colleagues, and the millions of others that are passionate about this issue. I know that there are responsible gun owners across our nation, and am cognizant that tragedies due to gun violence that continue to tear apart our communities are not a reflection of the character of the majority of gun owners. I cannot in good conscience, however, allow the irrationality of fringe elements pushing for laissez-faire access to weapons of incredible power to sway my desire to seek fair and comprehensive gun violence legislation.

In the first seven years of the U.S.-Iraq War, over 4,400 American soldiers lost their lives in service to our nation. It should give us pause, therefore, to consider that almost as many civilians are killed with guns in the U.S. every seven weeks. I urge you to consider this perspective as we work to determine the route our nation needs to take on gun violence prevention in order to provide for the general welfare of our entire population.