Ahead of Sham Congressional Hearing, GIFFORDS Calls on Congressional Republicans to Address Gun Violence
New York, NY — Today, GIFFORDS, the gun violence prevention organization founded by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, spoke ahead of the House Judiciary Committee hearing on violent crime in New York, New York, one of the safest cities in the country.
David Pucino, Deputy Chief Counsel, GIFFORDS Law Center:
“We know that fewer than eight percent of the guns that are used in crimes in New York City come from New York. Instead, they primarily come from states with weak gun laws. New York has strong gun laws that protect New York residents. What we need is other states to do their part, and more importantly than that, we need the federal government to do its part.
“Since taking control of the House this year, congressional Republicans have refused to advance gun safety legislation and are even working to roll back a recently-finalized ATF rule regulating concealable, dangerous weapons. Until we pass commonsense gun safety legislation, we will not address the problems of gun violence and violent crime, because you can’t be serious about crime unless you are serious about guns.
“These should not be partisan issues. We know what the nonpartisan, commonsense solutions are, and they must be implemented—but instead, Republican lawmakers are holding sham hearings in states that have strong gun laws.”
Recent research from GIFFORDS Law Center proves that, contrary to House Judiciary Republicans’ claims, New York is one of the safest states in the country. It recently received an A- on GIFFORDS Law Center’s Annual Gun Law Scorecard and ranks 4th in the nation for strong gun laws. Because of its strong gun laws, New York’s gun death rate is 5.4 people per 100,000—63% lower than the national average.
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