VICTORY FOR GUN SAFETY: Following Advocacy From New York Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action Volunteers, New York Ends Sessions Passing All Three Gun Safety Bills Introduced

Volunteers Are Urging New York Governor Kathy Hochul To Sign All Three Bills Which Will Provide Life-Saving Resources to Survivors of Gun Violence and Their Families, Hold Bad Actors Accountable, and Add New Pathways of Funding for Community Violence Intervention Programs 

NEW YORK — Today, the New York chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots networks, released the following statement applauding the New York Legislature for passing three gun safety bills introduced this legislative session which will modernize New York’s current laws and create new pathways to ensure survivors and families who have lost loved ones to gun violence receive the most just outcomes and resources to support their healing journey and ensuring  sustainable funding for community violence intervention programs. 

“We applaud the New York’s Legislature’s commitment to taking proactive action to protect our communities from gun violence by making sure that there is adequate funding for programs working to reduce gun violence and for updating New York’s law to ensure families and survivors of gun violence are well supported,” said Jacqueline Elkayam, a volunteer with the New York chapter of Moms Demand Action. “We urge Governor Kathy Hochul to put the safety and well-being of those most vulnerable in our communities first by signing all of these gun safety bills.” 

The following bills were passed by the New York Legislature during the 2023 Legislative Session: 

•  A6998/SB6636  — legislation which would modernize New York’s outdated wrongful death law by permitting the families of victims killed by others’ misconduct to recover compensation for their emotional anguish and the other non-economic losses they suffer, and hold bad actors responsible for their death accountable. This bill will bring healing and justice to many families who have been limited in their ability to be made whole after their loved ones are killed — including the families whose loved ones were killed in the mass shooting in Buffalo.
• S214A/A2105A—  legislation to help victims and survivors of crime and their families to receive the economic support they need by expanding eligibility and removing administrative obstacles that can make it challenging to receive support. Several eligibility requirements make receiving economic support inaccessible for many communities of color, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, working class people, people with health conditions or physical impairments, and immigrants. Making compensation funds for survivors and their families more accessible is in the best interest of building stronger, safer communities across New York. 
• S580/A2893A — legislation to provide critical funding for community-based violence intervention programs by allowing for Medicaid reimbursement to be used for administering these critical programs to ensure survivors of violence and communities most impacted by violence have the support they need. Additionally, this bill will allow hospitals in partnership with community violence prevention programs to receive federal support to treat their patients’ immediate injuries and help prevent their future physical and mental harm by ensuring follow-up care. 

In an average year in New York, 939 people die by guns and 1,991 people are wounded. Gun violence costs New York $11.4 billion each year, of which $301.2 million is paid by taxpayers. More information on gun violence in New York is available here.