NY Lawmakers to reintroduce gun bill aimed at helping domestic violence victims
ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10)---New York State lawmakers are looking at legislation they’d like to focus on when they return to Albany in January. Senator Pete Harckham plans on reintroducing a bill with Assemblymember Amy Paulin meant to help domestic violence victims.
"Firearms and domestic violence are a really bad combination," said Harckham.
According to the National Domestic Violence Hotline, the presence of a gun in domestic violence situations increases the risk of homicide for women by 500%.
Senator Pete Harckham plans on reintroducing a bill that would amend the Safe Homes Act.
According to the senator, the current legislation says police may remove firearms in plain sight during domestic violence calls. His bill, however, would change the word may to shall
"What we’re finding is some police departments are very good about doing it," explained Harckham. "Others are not, as it has been pointed out to us from domestic violence advocates and other police agencies. So, it’s critical that we have uniformity when it comes to keeping victims of domestic violence safe."
Harckham makes it a point to note the firearms confiscated would be ones in plain sight. The guns would be temporarily held for five days, so a safety plan can be made for the victim.
"This is not a permanent seizure," said Harckham. "This is not a violation of people’s second amendment rights. This is about public safety. This is about keeping victims safe, keeping people alive and giving the experts time to formulate a safety plan so the victim and the children can remain safe."
He explained why the bill wasn’t voted on last session.
"There was a Supreme Court case regarding a similar federal statute. So our councils were waiting to see the outcome of that. The courts ruled favorably in what would be our favor, so we now feel comfortable moving this forward without threat successful legal challenge."
The senator is optimistic the bill will pass in the state legislature next year.