Res. No. 1332-A
Title
Resolution supporting the recent formation of a coalition of state and local governments that will award firearm contracts to responsible gun manufacturers only.
Body
By the Speaker (Council Member Vallone), Council Members Warden, Carrion, Clarke, Dear, Fisher, Freed, Lasher, Leffler, McCaffrey, Michels, Nelson, O'Donovan, Pinkett, Povman, Reed, Robles, Robinson, Sabini, Stabile, Boyland, White and Provenzano; also Council Member Eldridge.
Whereas, Firearms are used to kill over 30,000 individuals in the United States every year, including over 1,200 individuals in New York State alone; and
Whereas, Handguns comprise the vast majority of firearms used in crime, including over 50% of all murders in the country; and
Whereas, Over 30,000 illegal firearms were seized in New York State from 1994 to 1998, and handguns constitute over 75% of the firearms confiscated by law enforcement; and
Whereas, As a solution to these vexing problems, a national coalition of state and local governments has been formed by Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Andrew Cuomo and United States Senator Charles Schumer and a similar effort formed and led in New York State by Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, with an agreement to prefer guns made by responsible manufacturers; and
Whereas, Numerous cities throughout the United States have already pledged their support to the coalition, including the cities of Atlanta, New Orleans, Boston, Detroit, and Newark; and within New York State, the cities of Buffalo, Albany, Utica, Plattsburgh, Oneonta, Schenectady, Troy and the New York State Conference of Mayors; and
Whereas, Members of the coalition pledge to support using as a criterion in their firearms purchasing a consideration of whether companies have agreed - at a minimum - to adhere to a code of responsible conduct, that provides for safer gun designs and a distribution system that makes it harder for guns to get into the hands of criminals and children. This consideration will apply only to equipment that meets law enforcement needs; and
Whereas, The National Code of Conduct and the New York State Code of Conduct require, among other things, that manufacturers design handguns to minimize their attractiveness to criminals and their use in crime, design firearms to be as safe as reasonably possible for law-abiding owners and innocent third parties, and adopt measures to reasonably prevent the diversion of their products from the legal stream of commerce or later sale or transfer to those not legally entitled to purchase or possess guns; and
Whereas, Such Codes of Conduct embody reasonable and fair proposals to help stem the tide of gun violence in the United States; and
Whereas, Such economic pressure, in addition to legislation and litigation, is an important component of making the gun industry responsive to the needs of cities like New York; and
Whereas, New York City, one of the largest cities in the country, should support this coalition because of the economic pressure that New York City can exert; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York supports the recent formation of a coalition of state and local governments that will award firearm contracts to responsible gun manufacturers only.