Congressman Goldman, Congressman Frost, Mayor Adams Announce New York City Public Schools to Distribute Federal Safe Gun Storage Guidance To Families

Announcement Follows Goldman’s Letter to NYC Public Schools Chancellor Requesting Answers on Plans to Share New Biden Administration Resources on Safe Firearm Storage

In 2024, Four Children Injured or Killed by Unintentional Shooting in New York to Date

View Video from the Event Here

New York, NY – Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10), Congressman Maxwell Frost (FL-10), and New York City Mayor Eric Adams today announced New York City Public Schools’ commitment to share new federal resources made available regarding the safe storage of firearms with students, teachers, and families.

The announcement follows Congressman Goldman’s letter to NYC Public Schools Chancellor David Banks requesting an update on NYC Public Schools’ plan to distribute these resources throughout the district. The Representatives were joined by Chancellor Banks; Abbey Clements and Sari Beth Rosenberg, co-founders of Teachers Unify to End Gun Violence; Rebecca Fischer, Executive Director of New Yorkers Against Gun Violence; and Mar Fitzgerald, a public school parent and education advocate.

“As a leader in gun violence prevention, I am grateful that New York City has heeded my call to provide critical information to public school parents about safe storage of guns and ammunition,” Congressman Dan Goldman said. “We know that when firearms are properly secured, children are 85 percent less likely to be victims of an unintentional shooting. As an integral part of our communities, our public schools can serve as the conduit for information on safe firearm storage to reach families and save lives. Thank you to my friend and colleague Congressman Maxwell Frost and the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention for assisting in assembling these vital resources. I’m excited to work with Mayor Adams, Commissioner Caban, Chancellor Banks, and New York City Public Schools to implement a plan to share these vital materials and keep our communities safer.”

Congressman Maxwell Frost said, “I commend the Mayor, Congressman Goldman, and the City for taking this critical step to ensure parents and families across New York City have the resources they need to make the right firearm storage decisions that will keep students and teachers safe and potentially prevent the next shooting or tragedy. Under President Biden, the White House’s Office of Gun Violence Prevention is hard at work to make sure that this guidance reaches every city and municipality in our country — I won’t stop fighting alongside of them and my colleagues in Congress to end this epidemic and save lives.”

New York City Mayor Eric Adams said, “Guns are the leading cause of death among children under 17. This Gun Safety Awareness Month, we must take action to save lives. While we continue to work for commonsense gun reform that will truly address the root cause of this problem, we must do all we can to keep each other safe. And that includes encouraging safe firearms storage. Today, we are committing to share new federal resources with New York City public school families and administrators to build awareness about safe firearm storage. Our administration is grateful to collaborate with U.S. Representatives Goldman and Frost, Teachers Unify to End Gun Violence, and everyone else who is working tirelessly to protect our children and communities from gun violence.” 

Abbey Clements, Executive Director and Co-Founder of Teachers Unify to End Gun Violence said, “We commend NYC leaders for committing to disseminate life-saving communication on safe firearm storage to all families. May this be a model for all cities and school districts across the country.”

Rebecca Fischer, Executive Director of New Yorkers Against Gun Violence said, “Gun Violence is the leading cause of death for New York’s children under 18. Our strong gun violence prevention policies, research and programs can only be truly effective as solutions if we educate the public. Our schools engage our young people and parents constantly and have the potential to be an even more supportive space and resource to communities on gun violence prevention practices. From safe storage to trauma-informed support inside our schools, we look forward to working with Congressmember Dan Goldman, the White House OGVP, and NYC DOE and schools on preventing gun violence and saving lives.”

In addition to the announcement, the Congressmen stressed the importance of ensuring localities across the country also disseminate this vital information on proper firearm storage. Congressman Maxwell Frost highlighted the need for all levels of government – city, state, and local – to work together in efforts to combat the gun violence epidemic.

Every year, nearly 350 children under the age of 18 unintentionally shoot themselves or others with a firearm. More than 70 percent of such incidents take place within the child’s home. The majority of children who commit suicide also do so with a family member’s gun. Additionally, more than three-quarters of school shooters acquire their firearm from the home of a parent or close relative. In New York this year alone, there have been four incidents involving an unintentional gun discharge, including the death of a 14-year-old boy in Brooklyn earlier this week.

Congressman Goldman has made gun violence a central issue of his first term, fighting nationally and locally to limit firearm availability.

In the first month of his term, Goldman cosponsored Ethan’s Law, which would require gun owners to secure their firearms in a “secure gun storage or safety device” if a minor is likely to gain access to the firearm without permission and incentivizes states to pass and enforce state level safe gun storage laws.

In March of this year, Goldman sent a letter to New York City Mayor Eric Adams asking for information on the City’s partnerships with private gun buyback companies after recent media reports revealed that some of these companies actually only remove and destroy the parts that hold serial numbers and selling the weapon’s remaining parts, fueling a secondary market of ghost guns nationwide.

Goldman hosted teachers and students in DC in April at a Congressional Dads Caucus General Member Meeting to share how their experiences with gun violence have impacted their lives.

Goldman also hosted a series of gun violence events in NYC to commemorate Gun Violence Survivors week, including a roundtable with gun violence survivors, a roundtable with community-based stakeholders and organizations, and a virtual fireside chat with Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg regarding federal and local strategy to combat gun violence.

Congressman Goldman is Vice Chair of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force and Chair of the Congressional Dads Caucus Gun Violence Prevention Working Group.

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