Resolution calling upon Congress to pass, and the President to sign, H. Res. 541, designating June 2016 as National Gun Violence Awareness Month.

Res. No. 1106

Resolution calling upon Congress to pass, and the President to sign, H. Res. 541, designating June 2016 as National Gun Violence Awareness Month.

By The Public Advocate (Ms. James) and Council Members Chin, Rosenthal and Mendez

                     Whereas, According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 33,599 Americans died from gun violence in 2014; and

                     Whereas, The 33,599 deaths included 10,945 murders, 21,334 suicides, and 586 accidents; and

                     Whereas, Data from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics show that in 2014, there were 414,700 incidents of nonfatal firearm violence, affecting 466,110 victims; and

                     Whereas, Gun violence occurs every day in many American cities; and

                     Whereas, In New York City, preliminary CompStat data from the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”) show 1,139 shooting incidents in the five boroughs in 2015, a slight decrease from 1,171 in 2014; and

                     Whereas, According to the Wall Street Journal, 68% of the 350 murders in 2015 were related to firearms, an increase of more than 20% from 2014; and

                     Whereas, Gun violence disproportionately impacts communities of color; and

                     Whereas, The NYPD’s 2015 Crime and Enforcement Activity report shows that in 2015, 73.3% of shooting victims were Black and 23.2% Hispanic, making up 96.5% of all shooting victims in New York City; and

                     Whereas, Gun violence incidents typically increase during summer months; and

                     Whereas, NYPD CompStat data show that shooting incidents in the summer months of 2015 accounted for 29.7% of the year’s total, and the same period of 2014 accounted for 32.8% of that year’s total; and  

                     Whereas, June would be an appropriate time of the year to increase public awareness about gun violence and to prompt further action among lawmakers and advocates to create solutions to prevent gun violence; and

                     Whereas, In November 2015, U.S. Representative Charles Rangel introduced H. Res. 541 to express support for designation of June 2016 as National Gun Violence Awareness Month; now, therefore, be it

                     Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls upon Congress to pass, and the President to sign, H. Res. 541, designating June 2016 as National Gun Violence Awareness Month.

LS# 7246

3/4/2016

LW