GIFFORDS Slams Congressional Republicans for Ignoring the Real Rise in Crime: Gun Violence
Washington DC — Today, GIFFORDS, the gun violence prevention organization founded by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, released the following statement after the House Judiciary Committee hearing in New York, New York, that focused on crime in the city, despite New York have one of the lowest gun death rates in the country. GIFFORDS Law Center found that the rise in crime during the pandemic was mostly fueled by gun violence.
Adzi Vokhiwa, Federal Affairs Director, GIFFORDS:
“During their sham of a hearing today, Congressional Republicans willfully ignored what’s actually at the heart of crime in the United States: gun violence. Gun violence is fueling increases in crime nationwide. But because New York has some of the nation’s strongest gun laws, New York also has one of the lowest gun death rates in the country. Ninety-two percent of the guns used in crimes in the state come from outside of New York, from states with weaker gun laws.
“All today’s hearing did was waste everyone’s time. If Republicans really wanted to address crime in the United States, they would pass commonsense gun safety laws like universal background checks or funding for community violence intervention programs.”
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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