News: Myrie, Colleagues And Advocates: "New York Needs A Gun Violence Prevention Office Now!"

BROOKLYN— Today, Senator Zellnor Y. Myrie (D-Central Brooklyn) joined elected colleagues and gun violence prevention advocates to demand New York formally establish an Office of Gun Violence Prevention. Legislation to establish and fund this office, sponsored by Senator Myrie and Assembly Member Monique Chandler-Waterman, was included in both the Assembly and Senate One-House Budget resolutions which passed earlier this month.

The legislation, S.1289 (Myrie)/A.2084 (Chandler-Waterman),  would formally create the New York State Office of Gun Violence Prevention (OGVP) and establish its statutory duties and composition. Currently, OGVP exists solely by a series of executive orders first issued in 2021. S.1289 passed the Senate Codes Committee earlier today.

"Although shootings in New York are still above pre-pandemic levels, the Trump Administration shut down the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention on its very first day," said Senator Myrie, sponsor of the bill and chair of the Senate Codes Committee. "A statewide OGVP is essential to leading a comprehensive government response to the gun violence crisis, providing support for victims and survivors, and ensuring effective policies are shared across agencies and local communities. I’m proud to stand alongside my colleagues and advocates in backing this bill, which officially enshrines the OGVP in state law."

”Our communities are at a pivotal moment in time where real investments towards the eradication of gun violence for NYS are vital more now than ever," said Assembly Member Chandler-Waterman, the Assembly bill sponsor. "The highest office in this nation has showcased their disinterest in preserving lives, during this national public health crisis, of gun violence, hence, we as state leaders are fighting for the establishment of a permanent NYS Office of Gun-violence Prevention. We demand inclusion of the Office of Gun Violence Prevention (OGVP) in the New York State budget, to allow it to play a central role in New York State’s efforts to address gun violence. The re-imagining of OGVP to expand and ensure that its office is permanent in state statute will guide the development and implementation of impactful programs aimed at reducing gun violence. We need coordination of agencies and stakeholders, public education campaigns and training, grant funding, data collection, hospital intervention programs and wraparound services inclusive of mental health and trauma support.”

"Like never before, we are depending on New York’s leaders to ensure that our communities are protected from gun violence with a coordinated public health approach, strong governance with agencies and partners, and enforcement of our common sense state gun safety laws," said Rebecca Fischer, Executive Director of New Yorkers Against Gun Violence. "New Yorkers Against Gun Violence is grateful for the leadership of the Senate and Assembly Majorities and commends Senator Myrie and Assembly Member Chandler-Waterman for the inclusion of a permanent New York State Office of Gun Violence Prevention (OGVP) in the Senate and Assembly Budget Proposals to protect the public safety of all New Yorkers. We look forward to continuing to work with the Senate, Assembly, and the Governor’s Office to ensure that creating the OGVP is included in the Enacted Budget.”

President Biden established the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention in 2023, but the Office was immediately disbanded by President Trump on January 20, 2025. With shooting incidents remaining above pre-pandemic levels, a formally-established New York State Office of Gun Violence Prevention would:

• Coordinate among government agencies, law enforcement, policy experts and other stakeholders on gun safety efforts
• Help implement state gun laws and programs in coordination with prosecutors, police, judges, and licensing authorities
• Develop public education campaigns and trainings for professionals and community members
• Distribute and coordinate government grant funding for gun violence prevention strategies and initiatives including community and hospital violence intervention programs, youth programs, and trauma support services
• Improve quality of and access to statewide gun violence data
• Enhance hospital capacity for victims and survivors of gun violence, which can provide life-saving trauma support after shootings occur and help prevent retaliatory cycles of violence.
• Establish an Advisory Council to provide recommendations to the OGVP composed of a diverse array of stakeholders

Background

Senator Myrie has been a leader on gun violence prevention since joining the State Senate in 2019:

• In 2021, he wrote the nation's first gun industry accountability law, allowing civil suits in state court against reckless and irresponsible gun companies.
  • Since then, the law has survived several rounds of court challenges and has been adopted in eight other states across the US
  • In recognition of his leadership in 2021, Everytown named Senator Myrie its Gun Sense Lawmaker of the Year and he received the Founders' Award from New Yorkers Against Gun Violence
• He also wrote laws to dedicate funding to community violence intervention programs and to expand access to compensation for crime victims
• In 2024, he wrote a law to ensure banks can detect and deter suspicious patterns of firearm purchases, and introduced legislation to ban pistols that can be easily converted into automatic weapons