(AmericanProsperity.com) – Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) announced his plan to handle New York’s gun violence epidemic during a recent conference. He’s negotiating $1.5 billion in federal aid to help fund the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) operations to combat violent gun crimes in the city.
The Interstate Task Force on Illegal Guns Meeting
Just days before Schumer’s announcement, the state of New York held a meeting with the Interstate Task Force on Illegal Guns for the first time. The task force is a consortium of several states sharing tactics, tools, intelligence, and strategies in an attempt to fight gun violence and gun trafficking.
According to reports, New York Governor Kathy Hochul said during the meeting that while New York is in a public health crisis, plagued by illegal guns coming into the city from neighboring states. Hochul added that the need to take action and handle the crisis head-on in collaboration with local, state, and federal law enforcement partners would save lives.
The Murder of Officer’s Jason Rivera and Wilbert Mora
Schumer’s announcement also came just days after the double murder of law enforcement officers Jason Rivera and Wilbert Mora. Both were killed on January 21 while attending a domestic violence call in Harlem.
Sources investigating the murders say suspected shooter Lashawn McNeil shot the officers with a gun reported stolen back in 2017. It contained an illegal gun cartridge capable of holding up to 40 rounds of ammunition.
Schumer said during the press conference that funding would help the ATF stop the illegal flow of firearms, including unregistered, untraceable “ghost guns,” from entering the city. He feels the budget would also enable the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) special strike force to focus on criminals connected to crimes involving the use of guns not only in New York but also across the country.
President Joe Biden is set to travel to New York to address the rise in gun violence. He will meet with Mayor Eric Adams to help resolve the illegal gun epidemic.
Schumer said he’s hopeful the president will provide additional support to assist the city in ending gun crimes. He commented that the $1.5 billion is necessary to support the ATF, asserting that without it, the flow of illegal guns and gun crimes in New York communities will continue to grow.
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