Scarsdale, NY – Assemblymember Amy Paulin (D-Scarsdale) released the following statement upon the news that Governor Andrew Cuomo had signed into law her bill (A. 2686A) to require the safe and secure storage of rifles, shotguns, and handguns to prevent access by children and other prohibited persons.

“This achievement has special meaning for me. I was an advocate on the issue of commonsense measures to prevent gun violence long before I was an Assemblymember. I introduced a bill on the safe storage of firearms at the very beginning of my Assembly career. Though it has been a long time in coming, the result is a law that will help prevent accidental injuries and deaths, particularly of children, and will also help prevent incidents of suicide and theft.

“New York state law already requires the safe storage of rifles, shotguns, and handguns in households when a person who lives there has been convicted of a crime, is subject to an order of protection, or other factors. This law adds households where a child under the age of 16 lives, or times when a child of that age could reasonably be expected to be visiting a house. Given everything we know about the effect a gun in the home can have on our children’s health and safety, and the many tragic stories when a firearm was left unattended by an adult, this law is absolutely necessary for keeping our kids safe.

“Too often have we hears stories like that of 12 year-old Nicholas Naumkin of Wilton, New York, who was fatally shot at a classmate’s house in 2010 when his friend was playing with his father’s unsecured gun. In addition to accidents, adolescents also face increased risk of suicides in households where guns are not secure. According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, the mere presence of a gun in the home increases the risk of suicidal thoughts. Also according to AFSP’s most recent annual report, 51% of all suicides in the United States are by a firearm, and 60% of gun-related deaths are suicides.

“Our law has been carefully designed to respect the rights of law-abiding citizens, and to honor hunting traditions and educational training programs for teenagers. Given the well-documented risk to our children and our families, it is not too much to ask gun owners who live with a child under 16 to safely store their firearm when it is not in their direct control in an appropriate safe storage depository and/or by using a gun-locking device to prevent the weapon from being fired. This law is commonsense for many gun owners already, and will enable us to prevent accidents, suicides and school incidents that put our children in harm’s way.”