Aborn Unveils Five Point Plan to Combat Gun Violence
Richard Aborn, national gun control leader who masterminded Brady Bill & AW Ban, details plan as Manhattan DA to protect borough from guns Aborn: Regionalize gun trafficking interdiction, require NY guns to include micro-stamping technology, impose national gun show background checks
National gun control leader Richard Aborn, who helped mastermind the passage of the Brady Bill and the Assault Weapons Ban, today unveiled a five-point plan to crack down on gun violence he would push to implement as Manhattan District Attorney. Aborn’s plan includes stopping guns at their source regionally, instituting special technology that traces guns, and bringing innovation to the office. “Thankfully, murder rates in Manhattan remain low, but that’s no comfort to anyone whose loved one has been a victim,” Aborn said. “We need a plan to crack down on gun violence by going after guns at their source, deploying micro-stamping technology to better identify guns used in crimes, and fighting for tougher restrictions on the buying and selling of them. As DA, I’ll continue my life-long dedication to combating guns so every resident or visitor in Manhattan can feel safe.” From 1992-1996 Aborn served as the president of Handgun Control Inc. (now the Brady Campaign) and was a principal strategist behind the passing of the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act as well as legislation to ban assault weapons and large capacity clips. Aborn also served as the president of the Center to Prevent Handgun Violence, is a former President of New Yorkers Against Gun Violence, and now serves on its board. In 2007, 878 violent crimes were committed with a gun in Manhattan. Aborn today proposed the following five-point plan to continue the crack-down on gun violence in Manhattan:
- Fight Gun Trafficking at its Source Through a Regional Interdiction Approach. Richard Aborn believes that we should not wait until guns come into Manhattan to stop them, but should join forces with other cities and states to share data and resources to stop the guns at the source. As District Attorney, Aborn would implement a regional compact with key law enforcement officials from other states whereby they would share information with each other in one clearinghouse data center, and crack down on gun trafficking in the region together, thus stopping guns before they get to New York.
This is particularly important for Manhattan because the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) reports that 85.9% of traced guns used in crime in New York City come from outside the state. In 2007, guns came from Virginia (358), Pennsylvania (305), North Carolina (290), Alabama and Georgia (243 each), and South Carolina (213). Illegal guns originate from these states partially because of their weak gun laws, but also because of a virtually undetectable mode of available transportation on Interstate 95. Ironically, these six states also serve as chief suppliers of illegal guns used in crimes in their own states.
Aborn said that the ATF is too small to work on the large number of trafficking cases, and there is currently no central database of trafficking data, so even if several states have data on a specific trafficker, law enforcement would not know the extent of their trafficking.
However, each of these states does have a data center that tracks its data on gun traffickers. And these data centers can be linked – without legislation – so that all of the states know who the large gun traffickers are. This would allow states to focus their resources on the best targets.
As a law enforcement expert, Aborn has worked extensively on this subject.
- Fight guns through aggressive law enforcement and prosecutorial tools. As DA, Aborn will implement gun buyback programs that keep guns off our streets by offering monetary incentives, which have been successful nationwide.
He will also institute an improved "Consent to Search" program, where parents can give police permission to search homes for guns. If guns are found, they are removed without a criminal charge being filed for the possession of the gun. (As DA, Aborn would continue to vigorously prosecute all crimes where illegal guns are used.) This program has been successful in Philadelphia and Missouri. In Missouri, over a three year trial period, over 1300 guns were seized.
In addition, as DA Aborn would fast track cases where illegal guns are used. And he would create a Gun Violence Task Force bringing together NYPD & community organizations to focus on getting guns off the streets.
- Require all pistols sold in NY to include micro-stamping technology. “Microstamping” is a process whereby when a shot is fired, the gun etches a ballistic fingerprint onto the bullet. This means that the police can trace the gun even if the gun is not left at the scene of the crime.
California has already passed similar legislation and if Aborn is DA, he will help lead a coalition to ensure that New York follows. To this end, Aborn will publicly push for a bill sponsored by Assembly Member Michelle Schimel and Senator Eric Schneiderman that would require all pistols legally sold in New York State to include micro-stamping technology. The legislation has passed the Assembly and is awaiting action in the Senate.
- Add a five-year renewal process for handgun permits. Currently, only New York City and several surrounding counties are allowed by Albany to have a renewal process for handgun permits. The other counties around the state issue a life-time permit. We have a statewide renewal procedure for driver’s licenses, because we recognize that people’s ability to drive changes over time – and that people do not just drive in their home county. The same should be true of gun permits. As DA, Aborn would help lead the charge to press Albany to pass the Paulin-Schneiderman bill to add such a five-year renewal process for handgun permits.
- Continue the national strategy to ensure that guns don’t fall into wrong hands. Aborn was a mastermind behind the passage of the Assault Weapons Ban and will work with Congress to devise a strategy to reinstate it. In addition, Aborn said several other changes are needed to federal law to make sure that guns do not fall into the wrong hands, including closing the gun show loophole and repealing the Tiahrt amendments.
Currently, people who buy guns from dealers at gun shows have to go through a background check, to ensure that criminals do not purchase guns. Unfortunately, people who buy guns from individuals at gun shows do not need to go through such a background check. Legislation to close the “gun show loophole” has passed the U.S. Senate twice before, but the National Rifle Association (NRA) has killed it in the House.
The Tiahrt Amendments make it harder for states and cities to fight illegal guns by restricting states and cities from accessing federal data on gun trafficking patterns. Aborn said that his plan for a regional data center would help in this area, but that the federal government should repeal this restriction as well.
The Tiahrt amendments also prohibit ATF from requiring dealers to annually inspect their inventory to make sure no guns are lost or stolen. In 2007, the ATF inspected a little less than 10% of the gun dealers in the country and found 30,000 guns missing.[1]
As District Attorney, Aborn would work with Congressional representatives and put the weight of his office and years of experience fighting the NRA behind passing this legislation. As one of the NRA’s chief opponents for many years, Aborn has fought the group and won. If elected DA, his victory will send a clear mandate that gun violence will not be tolerated.
“When I first took on the NRA in the 90’s to help pass the Brady Bill and Assault Weapons ban, people said we would never get it done,” Aborn said. “But we stared into the eye of the NRA and never backed down, by developing a smart strategy, tough persistence, and a coalition of advocates and law enforcement. This was tough stuff and extremely in-your-face, hard-fought politics at a very raw level. But we got it done, and as DA, I’ll never give up that fight.” Aborn was joined at the press conference by Jackie Hilly of New Yorkers Against Gun Violence, Jackie Rowe Adams of Harlem Mothers SAVE and Gloria Cruz of Million Mom March – New York City. “When it comes to keeping people safe from gun violence, Richard Aborn takes a back seat to no one in America,” said Jackie Hilly, Executive Director of New Yorkers Against Gun Violence. “Richard has literally dedicated his adult life to stopping guns before they hurt our loved ones. I fully support his plan to keep us safe here in Manhattan, and encourage others to rally behind it as well.” “The measures Richard is proposing will keep guns off our streets and away from our families,” said Jackie Rowe Adams, co-founder of Harlem Mothers SAVE. “We need to stop guns before they come into Manhattan, not afterwards. Working with officials all over the region to share information is the kind of common-sense measure everyone should support.”
