New York City’s public schools will begin tasking principals and other school leaders with educating students and their families on safe and proper gun storage.
The move comes just days after Josai Guy, 14, died after his 12-year-old cousin accidentally shot him while playing with a gun at home.
Schools Chancellor David Banks referenced the incident during a press conference on Thursday, which was also attended by Mayor Eric Adams and Rep. Dan Goldman, among others.
“What we had that happened in Brooklyn last week was not a matter of gun violence,” Banks said. “We had a young man who killed his cousin accidentally because they had access to a gun that was not safely secured.”
The announcement also follows other efforts New York City officials have made to curb gun violence. Mayor Eric Adams announced in March that the NYPD will test metal detectors equipped with artificial intelligence technology on the subway, and the department also released a report last month showing that it had seized more than 6,000 illegal guns between 2020 and 2021.
A letter from the Manhattan district attorney was also a driving force behind YouTube’s recent decision to age-restrict or altogether remove videos that show viewers how to manufacture and sell illegal guns.
At least three other children in New York state were injured by accidental shootings at home this year alone, according to data from the organization Everytown for Gun Safety. Two children were killed and another four were injured in New York state in 2023, according to the same data.
Following news of Guy’s death, Goldman penned a letter urging Banks to take advantage of federal safe gun storage resources for schools. Thursday’s announcement makes New York City one of the first U.S. municipalities to officially take advantage of those resources, which the Biden administration announced in January. New York City is home to the country’s largest school system, with roughly 1 million students in 1,800 public schools.
Goldman…
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