Joined By Gun Sense Lawmakers, New York Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action Volunteers Advocate for Continued Action on Gun Safety 

Advocacy Day Follows New York Lawmakers’ Introduction of First-In-The-Nation Legislation to  Hold Glock Accountable for Their Handguns That are Easily Converted Into Machine Guns 

ALBANY, NY – Today, more than 200 volunteers of New York Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action volunteers were joined by lawmakers, Executive Director of Moms Demand Action Angela Ferrell-Zabala, and gun safety partners for a kickoff press conference ahead of their annual day of advocacy in Albany. Today’s rally came hours after lawmakers announced the introduction of a first-in-the-nation legislative package to hold the firearm manufacturer Glock accountable for enabling the spread of illegal machine guns in our communities by refusing to redesign its pistols, which are uniquely susceptible to being converted into machine guns using auto sears commonly known as “Glock switches.” Volunteers advocated in support of these measures along with other gun safety bills during their meetings with lawmakers. 

“Our movement has gained so much momentum in New York and nationwide, and we’re not slowing down anytime soon,” said Angela Ferrell-Zabala, executive director of Moms Demand Action. “During today’s Advocacy Day, we’re giving a long-overdue wake-up call to Glock. We’re sending a warning to other shameful industry players. And we’re standing with our New York gun sense champions as they continue their life-saving work to keep us safe from gun violence.”

“Today is another example of New York’s national leadership against gun violence. We’re grateful that we already have some of the strongest gun safety laws in the nation – but we’re even more grateful that our lawmakers haven’t stopped working to make them stronger,” said Alexis Gevanter, a volunteer with the New York chapter of Moms Demand Action. “Gun violence is still too prevalent in our communities across New York, especially in Black and brown communities that bear the disproportionate brunt of this crisis. We thank our lawmakers for being partners in this fight, and we’ll continue to fight with them to keep one another safe.” 

“We can’t afford to sit on the sidelines and watch adults make decisions about our futures, without our voices being heard. Young people deserve a seat at the table, especially when it comes to ending America’s gun violence crisis, and that’s exactly why we’re here today,” said Reem Khalifa, a volunteer leader with Students Demand Action in Manhattan, New York. “Students are ready to get to work with our lawmakers to ensure New York makes progress this year on gun safety. We can’t afford to wait.” 

New York has long been a national leader in gun violence prevention, with the second-strongest gun safety laws in the nation. As a result, New York has the fourth-lowest rate of gun deaths in the country, proving what we have long known to be true: strong gun laws save lives. During this year’s advocacy day, volunteers met with lawmakers to advocate in support of measures to further strengthen New York’s gun safety laws including to: 

• Prohibit the future sales of any semi-automatic handguns in New York — including Glocks and their copycats — that can easily be converted into illegal fully automatic machine guns simply by the installation of a Glock switch (S. 9225, Senator Myrie / Pending Bill Number, Assembly Member Solages); 
• Update New York’s landmark gun industry accountability law to explicitly require firearm manufacturers to take steps to ensure that their handguns can’t be easily turned into machine guns with Glock switches (S. 7365-A, Senator Hoylman-Sigal / A.10053, Assembly Member Simon);  
• Require school districts to provide information about secure firearm storage to parents and students each school year (S.6980A Senator Mayer /A.7517A Assembly Member Benedetto); 
• Regulate and require licensure for the 3D printing of firearms and major firearm components (S.7364 Senator Hoylman-Sigal / A.7489 Assembly Member Rosenthal); 
• Require issuers of credit and debit cards to create a new merchant category code for firearms dealers (S.8479 Senator Myrie / A.9862 Assembly Member Solages; 
• Enact the School Anti-Violence Education Act, which would establish public school anti-violence education programs that would provide evidence-based trauma support, group counseling, and anti-gun violence education to students (S.4598-A Senator Bailey  /A.4917-B Assembly Member Anderson); and 
• Require lockdown drills in New York State schools to take a trauma-informed approach (S.6537 Senator Gounardes/A.6665 Assembly Member Simon). 

New York is a national leader in gun violence prevention, with the second-strongest gun safety laws in the nation. In an average year, 939 people die by guns in New York, and another 1,991 are wounded. Gun deaths and injuries cost New York $11.4 billion each year, of which $301.2 million is paid by taxpayers. More information about gun violence in New York can be found here.