Albany will take up two new bills related to gun violence when it begins a new session next year – propelled by the deadly shooting on the West Indian Day Parade route earlier this month.
“It’s time for us to employ some different strategies,” said State Sen. Zellnor Myrie, who introduced the bills last week.
Myrie represents a wide swath of Central Brooklyn, including Crown Heights, which continues to grapple with gun violence even as shootings decrease citywide. He’s also eyeing run for mayor next year where public safety is likely to again be a central issue.
While Myrie said the root causes of gun violence in his district have to be addressed, the shooting at the parade – which killed 25-year-old Denzel Chan and wounded four others – presented an opportunity to respond through legislation.
One of the bills would change the term “mass shooting” to apply to incidents where four or more people are injured by gunfire, not just killed.
“It’s a small but really significant change,” Myrie said, adding that it would unlock emergency resources and financial aid for survivors. “The impact is often just as devastating… if you have been paralyzed by being shot, that has a lifelong consequence for you and it’s going to take a different level of accommodation and service.”
If the bill passes, incidents like the one at the parade would fall under the “mass shooting” designation.
The other proposed measure would transfer the state’s Office of Gun Violence Prevention to the Division of Criminal Justice Services, a move that Myrie said would make it more efficient and effective. The office could better enhance hospital capacity, provide grants for violence prevention and use data to target areas most in need of resources, according to the bill language.
“The bill also calls for an advisory council that includes other stakeholders in this process. So that looks like a veteran, a medical professional, a young person, a community representative, legislators, research experts,” Myrie said. “There would be a cross agency conversation, because everything that we do as a government can help with gun violence prevention.”
Myrie and his team plan to stump for the bills at a press conference Wednesday with other community leaders and residents at the site of the Labor Day shooting. Police have not yet arrested the perpetrator.
“This is a frustrating reality for our community,” Myrie said. “If you are a victim or a survivor, the message to you is that what happened to you doesn’t matter. And if you are someone that uses a gun to resolve conflict, the message to you is that this is a route for conflict resolution, because it is likely that you won’t be caught.”
Shooting incidents have increased by more than 30% in the 77th precinct so far this year compared to last, which includes the northern portion of Crown Heights and part of Prospect Heights, according to NYPD CompStat data.