Yonkers Times: Senator Mayer Urges Governor to Sign Critical Gun & Public Safety Legislation

State Senator Shelley Mayer, with members of Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action, and County Executive George Latimer and White Plains Mayor Tom Roach

On Aug. 29, State Senator Shelley Mayer was joined today by Everytown for Gun Safety and Westchester County elected officials to urge Governor Kathy Hochul to sign two Mayer-sponsored bills, which passed both the Senate and Assembly and will enhance public safety.

Senator Mayer’s legislation, S.3340 (Mayer) / A.5873 (Lavine), will require courts to report extreme risk protection orders (ERPOs or “red flag laws”) to the statewide computerized registry of orders of protection and warrants of arrest. This legislation will increase protections for the public at large, and particularly victims of domestic and sexual violence, by ensuring law enforcement throughout New York have access to critical public safety information.

ERPOs are issued to prevent a person who is a danger to themselves or others from purchasing and possessing firearms, in addition to requiring the person to surrender any firearms they already own or possess.

Under current law, courts must notify the Division of state police and other law enforcement agencies with jurisdiction, and the Division of Criminal Justice serves the issuance of a temporary or final ERPO. There is currently no requirement that judges provide notice of these orders to the statewide registry.

Sen. Mayer’s second piece of legislation, S.9760 (Mayer) / A.10356 (Benedetto), will require firearm licensing officers to provide additional information about safe storage laws, including child access prevention when issuing licenses. This bill also requires the Division of Criminal Justice to conduct a public awareness campaign about New York’s safe storage laws and to provide educational materials about safe storage practices on its website.

Senator Mayer was joined by volunteers with Moms Demand Action, County Executive George Latimer, White Plains Mayor Tom Roach, and White Plains City Councilmembers Richard Payne, Jeremiah Frei-Pearson, and Jennifer Puja.

Senator Shelley Mayer said, “I am proud to sponsor two critical pieces of legislation that will promote gun and public safety. ERPOs are designed to take guns out of the hands of individuals at imminent risk of hurting themselves or others. By requiring all temporary and final ERPOs to be reported to the statewide computerized registry for orders of protection and arrest warrants, we can improve enforcement by ensuring police know when someone has an outstanding ERPO and better protect victims who face an ongoing risk of violence from someone in their life.

“Additionally, by requiring additional information about safe storage laws to be issued alongside firearm licenses and promoting safe stage practices, we can eliminate tragic, avoidable firearm deaths. I thank Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins and my colleagues for helping to pass these bills and encourage Governor Hochul to sign them into law, making New Yorkers safer, sooner.”

Adriana Pentz, a fellow with the Everytown Survivor Network and a volunteer with the New York chapter of Moms Demand Action, said,“In New York, we have some of the strongest gun safety laws thanks to gunsense champions like Senator Mayer who have continued to introduce and pass critical pieces of legislation that address our country’s ongoing gun violence crisis. We’re grateful that New York has strong extreme risk protection order and secure firearm storage laws, and we know that maximizing their lifesaving impact requires equally strong implementation and education in our communities. With these two measures, our lawmakers will be helping to ensure just that. Now, we urge Governor Hochul to sign them into law so that they can start saving lives.”

Brady: United Against Gun Violence President Kris Brown said, “The past year was a historic session for gun violence prevention in New York State. These bills passed by both Chambers addressed multiple facets of this uniquely American epidemic. From requiring the use of merchant category codes for firearm purchases within the state to regulating the marketing of Glock switches to increased funding for anti-violence education in schools and public awareness campaigns for safe storage, these bills are a step forward on the path to gun industry reforms and culture change surrounding firearms. Brady is grateful to Senator Mayer and all of our partners in the New York State Assembly for their leadership in making this successful session a reality. New York sets the example for statehouses across the country, so their commitment to ending gun violence has ripple effects throughout our nation. We look forward to these bills being signed into law as swiftly as possible.”

Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said, “New Yorkers deserve to feel safe in their communities and their homes. This legislation is an essential step forward in protecting our residents, especially those most vulnerable to gun violence and domestic abuse. These common-sense reforms will allow us to take significant steps towards creating a safer New York for all. I commend Senator Mayer’s efforts in spearheading legislation that will reduce gun violence and prevent unnecessary tragedies.”

Assemblymember Chuck Lavine, Assembly Sponsor of A.5873 said, “By keeping guns away from those who are at a high risk of using them to hurt other people or themselves, the state’s so-called ‘ERPO’ is a necessary tool at the disposal of judges. This bill, which I proudly sponsored in the Assembly, provides necessary enhancements to modernize the existing ERPO law and will help it do what it was intended to do in the first place, save lives.”

Westchester County Executive George Latimer said, “I would like to thank Senator Shelley Mayer for her leadership and efforts to strengthen gun and public safety laws throughout Westchester County. Legislation that increases protections for victims of domestic and sexual violence, coupled with enhanced safety measures for firearm licensing officers, will ultimately add an additional layer of security for our residents and families. I join with the Senator in encouraging Governor Kathy Hochul to sign this critical gun public safety legislation, because one death or injury due to this kind of violence is one too many.”

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