Local Ordinance would Keep Kids Safe and Reduce Crime Guns

(Long Island, NY) New Yorkers Against Gun Violence (NYAGV) released the following statement today in support of Monday’s anticipated vote by the Poughkeepsie city council on a local bill that would require gun owners to keep their guns safely locked and stored when not in their immediate possession and control.

Leah Gunn Barrett, NYAGV Executive Director, said, “We’re pleased that Poughkeepsie would be joining responsible cities across the state – including Buffalo, Rochester, Westchester County and New York City – in protecting children where they should be safest: in their own homes.”

Unlocked guns in the home increase the chance of unintentional shootings, suicides, homicides – and even school shootings. Two children a week will die due to an unintentional shooting in the home. Earlier this week, a one-year-old was the 24th child killed this year by accidental gun violence in the US.

Barrett added, “Gun groups like the NRA claim its members are responsible gun owners who put safety first. Since this ordinance is all about gun owner responsibility, you’d think they would support the measure.”

In addition to unintentional shootings, a gun in the home increases suicide risk by seventeen times. In 2013, sixteen New York children and teens used a gun to commit suicide. And unlocked guns are more likely to be stolen, ending up in dangerous hands. Each year in America, nearly 200,000 guns are stolen, fueling urban gun violence.

Alex Dubroff, NYAGV Hudson Valley Coordinator, said, “The corporate gun lobby is all about fear mongering whereas we are about protecting children. This ordinance is pro-child and pro-safety. Just as we ensure children don’t have unsupervised access to swimming pools and medicine bottles, we should ensure they do not have unsupervised access to lethal weapons.”

The constitutionality of safe storage laws have been upheld in federal courts throughout the country.

New Yorkers Against Gun Violence is a statewide advocacy group working to reduce gun violence through advocacy and education designed to encourage action, influence public opinion and lead to policy change. With a primary focus on New York State, the organization also advocates at the local and national levels for sensible gun laws, policies and practices that protect New York State residents from gun violence. www.nyagv.org; Twitter: @NYAGV1; https://www.facebook.com/nyagv.