Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, Comptroller Scott M. Stringer And Metro Iaf Call On Mayor de Blasio To Use City Purchasing Power To Advance Safe Gun Technology

(New York, NY) – On Monday, U.S. Representative Hakeem Jeffries, New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer and the Metro Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF) called on New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio to use the City’s purchasing power to push gun manufacturers to create smart guns that meet the needs of law enforcement, including the New York City Police Department (NYPD).

“The United States has five percent of the world’s population, but fifty percent of the world’s guns,” Congressman Jeffries said. “There are more than 300 million firearms circulating throughout the country. We are in the midst of a gun violence epidemic that requires all hands on deck at every level of government. Smart gun technology is one of the most effective tools we have against the proliferation of illegal guns in New York City and across this nation. ”

“Americans are facing an epidemic of gun violence that kills more than 30,000 people a year,” Comptroller Stringer said. “We must address this scourge in the same way we would fight back against any other plague – by using the best technology available to reduce the risk of injury or death. We should harness the purchasing power of the NYPD and other law enforcement agencies around the nation to pressure gun manufacturers into creating weapons that use fingerprint technology and other modern safety features. We can change the market for smart guns, not just for police, but for everyone. We have the tools today to improve gun safety: let’s start taking action to protect our police, our kids, and our communities.”

City, state and federal governments purchase 40 percent of the guns sold in America, giving military and law enforcement agencies unrivaled purchasing power when it comes to handguns. The NYPD is by far the largest municipal law enforcement agency in the country, second only to the Department of Defense when it comes to arming its personnel.

On Monday, Rep. Jeffries, Comptroller Stringer and Metro IAF called on the City to add a smart gun to the list of approved firearms available to NYPD officers, consistent with operational needs. This would give officers greater choice in choosing a firearm, while spurring gun manufacturers to develop a smart gun appropriate for law enforcement.

Currently, the NYPD does not directly procure service handguns for its officers; instead it publishes a list of approved firearms and allows officers to select the gun that is best for them, with the officer being reimbursed for the cost of the weapon by the Department. To date, no smart gun has been approved for use because gun manufacturers have failed to produce a weapon that both integrates this life-saving technology and also meets the demanding standards of police.

“As the largest buyer of guns outside of the United States government, the City of New York has the power to help change the priorities of gun manufacturers,” said Reverend David Brawley, pastor of St. Paul Community Baptist Church in Brooklyn and co-chair of Metro IAF. “Not just on smart guns, but also on how these companies sell their products. New York City should ask Glock and other manufacturers to immediately sever ties with the small percentage of dealers like Arrowhead Guns in Georgia — the stores that sell most of the crime guns that are trafficked into New York and cities across the country.”

Gun Manufacturers and Smart Gun Technology

Today’s call comes after President Obama last week similarly directed federal agencies to examine whether smart gun technologies could be incorporated into government purchasing for military and other personnel, consistent with operational needs. Smart guns exist today, but gun manufacturers have balked at marketing such models in the U.S. out of fear of inciting the National Rifle Association and others opposed to new mandates on gun retailers and manufacturers. Some of the existing smart gun technologies include:

• Personalized Firearms: guns that use finger or palm prints or radio frequency identification to ensure that only a gun’s true owner/authorized user can fire the weapon;
• Loaded Chamber Indicators: to ensure that users always know when a weapon is loaded;
• Magazine Disconnect Devices: to prevent a gun from firing if the magazine has been taken out, even if a round remains in the chamber;
• Microstamping: to trace bullets found at crime scenes to specific guns; and
• Child-Proof Locks/Grips: to prevent accidental deaths. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that between 1999-2010, over 8,300 gun deaths were unintentional, including nearly 1,800 children.

“If an I-phone can be embedded with fingerprint activation, so can a firearm,” added Jeffries. “The gun manufacturers have been reluctant to adopt life-saving smart gun technology, so they will have to be compelled to make it happen. New York City is one of the largest purchasers of firearms in the nation, and we should use our leverage to push for more responsible gun industry practices. I look forward to working with Comptroller Stringer, a leader on social justice and corporate responsibility, to encourage City Hall and the New York Police Department to make this happen.”

“Last week, President Obama used his executive power to take action on gun violence. Today, I stand with Congressman Jeffries, one of our nation’s strongest voices on ending gun violence, to call on the City to use every lever it has to move the market and change the landscape for gun safety. The truth is that this issue has nothing to do with ideology, political allegiance, or party affiliation. Guns are a deadly threat to all citizens, whether they are Democrats, Republicans, gun owners, anti-gun activists, children, retirees, mothers, or fathers. We all need to join together, and take real action – not next month, not next year, but now,” Stringer said.

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