Gun Violence Prevention
|
Gun violence is an epidemic in American society and is now the leading cause of death for American children. Tragically, Western New York has been forever changed by the impact of gun violence. The May 14, 2022 attack on the Jefferson Avenue Tops Supermarket in Buffalo, New York—a racially motivated hate crime—took the lives of ten innocent people and severely injured three others. The shooter was a white supremacist who traveled to Buffalo and targeted the grocery store because it was located in a predominantly Black neighborhood. Aaron Salter, Jr., the security guard at Tops on 5/14, took courageous action to stop the shooter. However, because the attacker had access to enhanced body armor, Mr. Salter's shot was deflected, and he was murdered. In response, Kennedy co-led legislation to prevent civilians from purchasing the body armor that the perpetrator wore, H.R. 8388, the Aaron Salter, Jr., Responsible Body Armor Possession Act. It bans the purchase, or possession of, enhanced body armor by civilians. Immediately following the attack, during his time in the New York State Senate, Kennedy helped establish mechanisms to better control who has access to guns and gun paraphernalia—including body armor—worked to hold gun manufacturers accountable, strengthened gun regulations, and worked to better understand the role of social networks in gun violence. Rep. Kennedy is advocating for common-sense gun violence prevention legislation that will:
|