ALBANY — A coalition of influential gun control advocates joined forces Wednesday to call for legislation that would make it easier to keep guns away from dangerous individuals.
The groups urged state lawmakers to adopt legislation that would allow judges to temporarily prohibit individuals considered likely to harm themselves or others from possessing or purchasing firearms.
“Plain and simple, this law would allow us to get help to those who need it and keep many New Yorkers from knowing the pain a trauma that comes with gun violence,” said Tricia Pleu of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, one of more than a half-dozen groups that called for passage of the law.
Under the proposed measure, family members or law enforcement could petition a court for “Extreme Risk Protection Orders,” which, if granted, would allow officers to temporarily confiscate firearms and prevent the purchase of additional weapons by those deemed at risk of causing harm to themselves or others.
The person would be then be given the chance to challenge the order in court.
“This legislation empowers loved ones and law enforcement to take immediate legal action to protect public safety if they notice dangerous behavior by people who may be at risk,” Pleu said.
The measure passed the Assembly last year but stalled in the GOP-controlled Senate.
A spokesman for Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan (R-Suffolk County) did not respond to a request for comment.
New York State Rifle and Pistol Association President Tom King criticized the bill as unnecessary, arguing current law already allows guns to be confiscated from dangerous individuals.
“It is just grandstanding,” said King, an NRA board member.
State Sen. Brian Kavanagh (D-Manhattan), a sponsor of the bill, said existing law falls short because it normally requires someone to be charged with a crime before their weapons can be confiscated.
“This creates a civil process where the sole question is whether the person is likely to cause harm,” Kavanagh said.
Kavanagh said advocates for the bill intend to do “whatever we believe is necessary” to get the legislation adopted this year.
Among the other groups calling for the law’s adoption were New Yorkers Against Gun Violence, the Citizens Crime Commission of New York City, the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, Everytown for Gun Safety, and the Giffords Law Center, which was founded by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and her husband Mark Kelly.
“It’s an effective law that will help reduce gun violence in New York,” said Nico Bocour, state legislative director for Giffords. “This bill would provide families and law enforcement with a tool to temporarily reduce someone’s access to guns if they are at risk of harming themselves or others.”
