Big Apple parents will be issued information on how to safely store guns at home, city officials announced Thursday — less than a week after a 14-year-old boy was fatally shot by his younger cousin with a gun they found in a bedroom.
A multi-page letter will be sent to families from the city’s education department, and will address firearms safety and whether the guns are legal or not, officials confirmed.
“It would be guidelines that would apply to anyone possessing a gun,” Brooklyn Congressman Dan Goldman told reporters at a press briefing on Thursday at City Hall.
So far this year, four kids in New York have been accidentally shot by guns found in homes – including Jasai Guy, who was killed when his 12-year-old cousin accidentally shot him with an illegal, sawed-off shotgun.
In March, a 3-year-old boy accidentally shot and wounded his 6-year-old brother with an unsecured handgun in Albany.
Brooklyn Congressman Dan Goldman said school principals across the country were sent letters from the US Department of Education explaining the importance of safe storage and encouraging them to speak to families.
“However, school principals and administrators are not required to share this information,” he said.
Now, New York families will have access to new federal resources to curb the instances of gun violence in the Big Apple.
“Really think about the inquisitive nature of a child to pick up a gun, and oftentimes they don’t realize the seriousness of it because the gun culture is all around us,” said Mayor Eric Adams.
Meanwhile, Schools Chancellor David Banks recalled how his own father — who was a police officer— handled having a gun in the home.
“He let us touch the gun because what he was doing, he was being very intentional in saying, I want to eliminate your curiosity about the gun,” he said.
The city didn’t say whether it would send out the US Education Department’s form letter on gun storage safety, but Goldman said it would be a “multi-page” resource with guidelines for parents.
This year, there have been at least 87 unintentional shootings by children, resulting in 34 deaths and 55 injuries nationally, according to data collected by anti-gun rights site Everytown.
Gun owners in New York City are required to register for a license to legally process handguns, rifles or shotguns.
New York state law requires gun owners to lock up their firearms if they live with a child under 16, or know that a minor is likely to gain access to the weapon.
The 12-year-old who killed Jasai was charged with manslaughter.
Jasai’s mother, Tiffany Grant, 35, wept about the tragedy to the Post saying her son meant “everything” to her. as police revealed grisly details of the “accidental” shooting.
“No one is perfect, but he was very close to it,” she said at the teen’s memorial outside her mother’s Dean Street home in Crown Heights where Jasai spent part of his childhood.