Explore The NRA Universe Of Websites

APPEARS IN News

Style Over Substance

Monday, May 9, 2022

Style Over Substance

Eric Adams, who was elected as mayor of New York City last November, appeared at the New York Metropolitan Museum of Arts red carpet event last week in a tuxedo jacket emblazoned with End Gun Violence” and a no gunslogo. Bringing a little swagger back to the Met Gala,” he tweeted, telling Bloomberg news that, The goal is to end gun violence and save our children.”

Adams campaigned on a platform of public safety, and were to understand that stepping out in a high-fashion sandwich board is a sign that hes serious about tackling crime. Adams press secretary gushed, The mayor has a great sense of style. And he came up with the idea. He wants to send a message specifically. One of the things that is causing problems in our society is gun violence.”

Unfortunately for Adams, creating the appropriate buzz with the gala crowd was likely less effective than socialist Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez appearing in a tax the rich” dress last year. Unlike the wealthy elite in attendance (the target, one assumes, of AOCs walking billboard), the criminals and gangsters that are driving the Big Apples surge in violent crime are unlikely attendees of the Mets exclusive, $35,000-a-ticket bash.

End gun violence? Isnt that HIS job?” asked one commenter responding to the mayors swagger” tweet. Well, yes. In January, Adams released a Blueprint to End Gun Violence” plan, his roadmap” to immediately address the crisis of guns on New York City streets.” One part of his plan calls on the federal government to pass common-sense legislation” that includes universal background checks, a long-overdue national ban on assault weapons,” and increased penalties for those making straw purchases, or buying firearms from someone legally prohibited from doing so.”

As it happens, both state law and New York Citys own criminal law already include these firearm prohibitions (and many, many others). New York City requires a license/permit before a person may lawfully possess a firearm, and the application involves a background check. Under state law, firearm transfers, sales, and exchanges must be made using a licensed dealer, which means a background check, as well. New York State enacted an assault weapon” ban in 2013, and New York Citys Administrative Code generally prohibits possession or disposition of an assault weapon.” State law criminalizesstraw purchases” (a felony), acquisitions of guns by anyone legally prohibited from possessing firearms (a felony), and the sale or disposition of a firearm by a prohibited person” (another felony). Carrying a concealed firearm requires a permit issued at the discretion of local law enforcement. New York State does not recognize valid permits from other states, and a New York State carry permit is not even valid in New York City absent an endorsement from the police commissioner.

One (admittedly crude) indicator of the effectiveness of such restrictions and bans is to judge their impact on crime in places where such laws are already in effect.

New York City Police Department (NYPD) year-to-date crime statistics, released about the same time that the mayor was posing on the red carpet, show that for the week ending May 1, 2022, all major crime categories except murders have double-digit increases as compared to the same time in 2021. Felony assault complaints are up by almost 20%, and robberies have jumped by over 44%. Shooting incidents” decreased, but by less than one percent.  

Persons with a state carry permit make up only an estimated 1.27% of the adult population in New York State. The amicus brief providing this number, filed in the pending NRA-supported Supreme Court case of New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v. Bruen, No. 20-843, notes that [l]aw-abiding citizens legally carrying concealed firearms are not the problem” behind the wave of shootings and homicides in the Empire State. 

Another amicus brief in Bruen, filed by the Black Attorneys of Legal Aid Caucus and public defender entities, points out that because police are the gun licensing authority, the NYPD unilaterally decides whose firearm possession is an unlicensed crime and whose is a licensed right.” In 1969, working class, minority residents of the Bronx who called on the NYPD to issue them firearm licenses so they could protect themselves and their families were told,”[i]ts the policy of this department not to give out permits for people who want to protect themselves.” Not much, it seems, has changed since then.

Curtailing the rights of responsible citizens because of violent criminals who dont get permits and dont care about the law doesnt make for safe communities. If Eric Adams is serious about changing the trajectory of police statistics and protecting residents from violent crime, he could skip the fashion statement and begin by recognizing the tragic public safety implications that his own citys restrictive gun laws create.

IN THIS ARTICLE
New York New York City crime
TRENDING NOW
NRA Statement on President Trump’s Executive Order Protecting Second Amendment Rights

News  

Second Amendment  

Friday, February 7, 2025

NRA Statement on President Trump’s Executive Order Protecting Second Amendment Rights

Today, the White House announced a new Executive Order to protect and expand the Second Amendment rights of all law-abiding Americans. This is the first action taken by President Donald J. Trump to carry through ...

CMP Resumes 1911 Pistol Sales, Offers Streamline Process and Incentives

News  

Monday, February 3, 2025

CMP Resumes 1911 Pistol Sales, Offers Streamline Process and Incentives

One day before Donald Trump was inaugurated as the 47th President of the United States, he held a Make America Great Again rally in Washington, D.C., where he spoke to more than 20,000 energized supporters ...

The Hearing Protection Act Introduced in the 119th Congress

News  

Wednesday, February 5, 2025

The Hearing Protection Act Introduced in the 119th Congress

U.S. Representative Ben Cline (R-VA-06) and U.S. Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID) recently reintroduced the Hearing Protection Act (H.R. 404/S. 364) in the 119th Congress. This commonsense legislation will give gun owners and hunters the opportunity to ...

NFA Prosecution Shows ATF Still Determined to Imprison Americans for Braced Pistols

News  

Monday, February 10, 2025

NFA Prosecution Shows ATF Still Determined to Imprison Americans for Braced Pistols

Documents filed in an ongoing prosecution for illegal possession of a short-barreled rifle are raising new concerns about ATF’s enforcement policy concerning pistols with attached stabilizing braces. 

Going, Going… Gone? Privacy and Gun Owner Data Security in California

News  

Monday, February 10, 2025

Going, Going… Gone? Privacy and Gun Owner Data Security in California

Where does privacy go to die? For gun owners and concealed carry applicants and permit holders in the Golden State, the answer must surely be California.

DNC Goes All-In on Gun Control

News  

Monday, February 10, 2025

DNC Goes All-In on Gun Control

A couple weeks ago, we wrote about anti-gun activist David Hogg campaigning to be a Vice Chair for the Democratic National Committee (DNC).  We (somewhat) jokingly endorsed his candidacy, as it would make abundantly clear that ...

Colorado: Senate Delays Vote on Semi-Auto Ban A Second Time

Friday, February 7, 2025

Colorado: Senate Delays Vote on Semi-Auto Ban A Second Time

For the second week in a row, the State Senate has postponed the floor vote for Senate Bill 25-003, the near all-encompassing semi-automatic ban

New Mexico: Anti-Gun Extremists Introduce Sweeping Gun Ban

Wednesday, February 5, 2025

New Mexico: Anti-Gun Extremists Introduce Sweeping Gun Ban

As they have tried in the past, anti-gun radicals in the New Mexico Senate have introduced Senate Bill 279, the "GOSAFE Act," a near all-encompassing ban on semi-automatic and NFA firearms.

Legislation Introduced to Protect Veterans’ Second Amendment Rights

News  

Friday, February 7, 2025

Legislation Introduced to Protect Veterans’ Second Amendment Rights

The Chairmen of the House and Senate Committees on Veterans’ Affairs, U.S. Representative Mike Bost (R-IL-12) and Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS), as well as Senator John Kennedy (R-LA), have reintroduced the Veterans 2nd Amendment Protection Act ...

FIND Act Introduced in the 119th Congress

News  

Friday, February 7, 2025

FIND Act Introduced in the 119th Congress

U.S. Representative Jack Bergman (R-MI-01) recently reintroduced H.R. 45, the Firearm Industry Non-Discrimination Act (FIND Act). U.S. Senator Steve Daines (R-MT) also introduced a companion bill in the U.S. Senate (S. 137). This important legislation would ...

MORE TRENDING +
LESS TRENDING -

More Like This From Around The NRA

NRA ILA

Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the "lobbying" arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.