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BROOKLYN— Today, Senator Zellnor Y. Myrie (D-Central Brooklyn) joined elected colleagues and gun violence prevention advocates to announce two new bills drafted in response to the September 2 shooting at the West Indian Day Parade. More than two weeks after the incident, no suspects have been identified and the shooting remains unsolved.
"On a day that should have been about celebrating Caribbean heritage and uplifting our culture, an individual chose to inflict pain and violence on a community that already sees too much of both," said Senator Myrie. "These bills will strengthen New York's commitment to addressing the scourge of gun violence by creating a uniform standard for responding to incidents like this one, and ensuring that the State has the infrastructure needed to prevent them."
"We know that gun violence is an ever-present crisis in Central Brooklyn, and that far too many incidents remain unsolved," added Senator Myrie. "This community needs an immediate influx of resources to address our short- and long- term public safety needs. I am grateful to my colleagues and advocacy partners for standing with us today."
View video of Senator Myrie's remarks.
The two new bills are:
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S.9904 would expand the State's legal definition of "mass shooting" to include any incident in which four or more people are injured or killed with a firearm
- The current definition in State law applies only to incidents in which four or more people are killed
- This legal definition would create a uniform standard for evaluating when and how State resources should be deployed following a mass shooting
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S.9905 would formally create the State's Office of Gun Violence Prevention (OGVP), transfer its existing operations to the Division of Criminal Justice Services, and establish its statutory duties and composition
- Currently, OGVP exists solely by a series of executive orders first issued in 2021 and extended most recently as this year
- OGVP currently sits within the Department of Health and has no mandates or responsibilities established by State law
In addition, Senator Myrie spearheaded a joint letter on September 5 to Mayor Eric Adams and Governor Kathy Hochul asking for a surge of resources to address short- and long- term needs as the community seeks to heal. These include support for local social service providers, longer operating hours for nearby schools and nonprofits and mental health support services, along with greater NYPD presence where appropriate given the potential for escalation and retaliation. A copy of the letter is here. To date, neither the Mayor nor Governor have responded.
"My prayers go out to all impacted by the unfortunate shooting on Labor Day, Sept. 2, which left five people shot, leaving four wounded and one fatality of 25-year-old Denzil Chan, my constituent who was a resident of Flatbush Gardens, and succumbed to his injuries," said Assembly Member and bill sponsor Monique Chandler-Waterman. "Our community demands more comprehensive conversations about public safety that discuss the implementation of real-time wrap-around services, including safe places for our community members, community centers, mental health support, and policies. As the Co-Chair of the Anti-Gun Violence Subcommittee of the NYS Black, Puerto Rican Hispanic, Asian Caucus, I have worked lock in step with my in-district AD 58 Public Safety Taskforce, local and national anti-violence groups like New Yorkers Against Gun Violence, impacted families and communities by sponsoring legislation A10720, along with my colleague Senator Myrie to re-define mass shootings as four or more injured or murdered in one shooting incident to activate needed resources. We must also ensure that the NYS Office of Gun Violence Prevention can get the tools and be able to support our groups on the ground with real-time wrap-around resources and technical assistance. Our collective legislative efforts are just a start to the holistic response measures required to truly heal our communities."
“The damage of gun violence is severe, everlasting, and compounding. To break this cycle and begin to heal, our city requires action on all fronts – and I applaud State Senator Myrie for working to do what is in his power to prevent gun violence and amplify efforts to address its long-lasting harms,” said Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso. “The constant flow of guns into New York, the defunding of social services, the systematic erosion of opportunity here in New York City are all part of this perfect storm of gun violence. I am glad that Senator Myrie is seeking legislative opportunities to unify actions against gun violence and ensure communities who are harmed by gun violence are given the support they need to recover.”
"Brooklynites should be able to celebrate with their neighbors—and simply go about their daily lives—without worrying that they're going to be victims of a shooting," said State Senator Andrew Gounardes. "We do not have to accept a reality where fear of gun violence dominates our lives, and we owe to all New Yorkers to take every possible step to invest in resources that address both immediate public safety needs and the root causes of violence. This is a public health emergency that has long since reached a fever pitch. These proposals to expand the legal definition of a mass shooting and strengthen the state's Office of Gun Violence Prevention, along with deeper investments in local service providers and community resources, are important steps toward turning down the temperature."
"We need to do everything in our power to stop the cycle of gun violence,” said Rebecca Fischer, executive director of New Yorkers Against Gun Violence. “A mass shooting ravaged and traumatized lives, families, and our community on Labor Day–on a day for celebration and freedom. We know that the state and the city have resources for survivors, resources for community initiatives, resources for wrap around services. This community needed the money immediately after the mass shooting on Labor Day. Within hours and days. Not weeks. Not months. And not years. We’re suffering from a public health crisis–we need an organized, coordinated, effective, systematic state and city office of gun violence prevention. Thank you Senator Myrie for championing these state bills--critical to supporting survivors, ensuring that resources are received by those who need it most, preventing gun violence and saving lives.”
“Americans are fed up with gun violence devastating their communities," said Kris Brown, President of Brady. "New York state has already experienced 14 mass shootings this year, including the one at the West Indian Day Parade. And if such high rates of gun violence weren’t sad enough, it’s even worse when you consider that gun violence is entirely preventable. That’s why we need comprehensive solutions to end the American gun violence epidemic and support victims of gun violence. These two new bills will be a firm step in the right direction. Redefining mass shootings will allow more victims to access important resources, and an Office of Gun Violence Prevention will provide funding and research to protect New York communities. We applaud Senator Myrie and his colleagues for their work on these bills and their continued push to fund community resources.”
"New York has a lot to be proud of in the fight against gun violence," said GIFFORDS Law Center Legal Director David Pucino. "Thanks to leaders like Senator Myrie, we have some of the strongest laws and most innovative policy in the country. But the shootings haven't stopped, so we need to do more. We must do more to support survivors. And we need consistent, sustained, funded, and coordinated efforts through a codified Office of Gun Violence Prevention. These bills will take us forward in our next step in this fight."
“Ending gun violence in our communities is critical to public safety for all New Yorkers, and investments are needed to end the tragic loss of lives," said Courtney Bryan, Center for Justice Innovation. "By supporting on-the-ground community programming such as our projects Neighbors in Action, SOS Save Our Streets, Street Action Network and RISE, and strengthening our policy and government response, we can create lasting change.”
"KAVI (Kings Against Violence Initiative) is proud to stand with the NYS Assembly and Senate to support passing bills S9904 and S9905 into law," said Ramik Williams of KAVI. "S9904 would help communities recover from mass shootings by unlocking resources to address the trauma and pain survivors and their families feel during the aftermath. Communities and municipalities cannot appropriately help those in need without a coordinated response. For a myriad of reasons, gun access and gun possession by unsafe people is higher in New York now more than ever. These legislative responses ensure local municipalities, institutions, and organizations are provided with resources to address the challenge of gun violence."
Background
Senator Myrie has been a leader on gun violence prevention since joining the State Senate in 2019:
- In 2021, he wrote the nation's first gun industry accountability law, allowing civil suits in state court against reckless and irresponsible gun companies.
- Since then, the law has survived several rounds of court challenges and has been adopted in eight other states across the US
- In recognition of his leadership in 2021, Everytown named Senator Myrie its Gun Sense Lawmaker of the Year and he received the Founders' Award from New Yorkers Against Gun Violence
- He also wrote laws to dedicate funding to community violence intervention programs and to expand access to compensation for crime victims
- In 2024, he passed a bill to ensure banks can detect and deter suspicious patterns of firearm purchases, and introduced legislation to ban pistols that can be easily converted into automatic weapons
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