Graphic images warning of the dangers of keeping a firearm at home could soon appear in gun shops across New York City, similar to the cautionary imagery printed on cigarette packages in other countries.<\/p>\n
The New York City Council is poised to pass the legislation on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
A recent Gothamist analysis<\/a> shows this year\u2019s dip in shootings follows a broader downward trend since the pandemic. Still, high-profile incidents continue to spark unease among residents and city lawmakers are still grappling with a Supreme Court decision that forced the city and state to allow people to carry concealed, licensed firearms in certain areas of New York.<\/p>\n State law already requires a written warning to be issued with any permit or license for a firearm, stating that having a gun in the home increases the risk of suicide and accidental death. But under the bill<\/a>, people authorized to own a firearm, rifle or shotgun would also receive a graphic image depicting those risks.<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t think of a deadlier consumer product that has no warning for consumers at the point of purchase,” said City Councilmember Erik Bottcher, who introduced the legislation. “Guns kill tens of thousands of people every year and a gun in the home is so much more likely to kill someone in that home rather than to be used as self-defense.”<\/p>\n The city\u2019s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene would be responsible for designing the images, posting them online and fining anyone who doesn\u2019t display them properly: $5,000 for a first offense and $10,000 for a second within 12 months.<\/p>\n Bottcher said he\u2019s confident the approach will be effective.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you\u2019re getting a message about public health, if it has an image attached to it, it\u2019s more effective. It makes more of an impact,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n At least 31 councilmembers have signed on as co-sponsors, guaranteeing the bill’s passage.<\/p>\n City Hall previously expressed support for the legislation in April.<\/p>\n \u201cRegarding the legislation, the Administration is supportive of the Council\u2019s efforts,\u201d the city police department and Department of Health and Mental Hygiene said in written testimony submitted to a committee on April 17.<\/p>\n The agencies also said they looked forward to discussing \u201csome technical aspects of the legislation\u201d once implemented.<\/p>\n New York already has some of the strongest gun laws in the country and has led several firearm safety initiatives, according to rankings from Everytown for Gun Safety, a national gun control advocacy group.<\/p>\n Find the original article here<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Graphic images warning of the dangers of keeping a firearm at home could soon appear in gun shops across New York City, similar to the cautionary imagery printed on cigarette packages in other countries.<\/p>\n The New York City Council is poised to pass the legislation on Wednesday.<\/p>\n A recent Gothamist analysis<\/a> shows this year\u2019s dip in shootings follows a broader downward trend since the pandemic.<\/p>\n …<\/p>\n