SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC NEWS) – New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and other lawmakers are expected to pass a series of legislation that will tighten gun laws across the state. Following the grievous mass shootings in both Uvalde, Texas and Buffalo, New York there has been a public outcry for further regulation.
Here in Syracuse, Clifford Ryan is no stranger to gun violence. After experiencing it first hand, he said he knew it was time to step up and make a change in the city he has called home all his life.
“I’m a survivor of gun violence,” Ryan said. “I had a son that was shot and killed. He was shot and killed in July of 1999. That spearheaded my advocacy in the community.”
In 2015, Ryan founded OGs Against Violence, an organization with a mission to resolve violent conflicts before they even happen.
“If there’s a situation where there’s a conflict,” Ryan said. “And the individuals involved may have a firearm and are getting ready to use that firearm, I intervene to prevent that individual from using that firearm.”
Ryan says he has not only stopped hundreds of shootings in the city, but also stabbings. His work in the community does not just end there.
“For New York state to step up in the way that it’s doing, I really respect that effort, ” Ryan said.
He commends the efforts of state lawmakers to make such changes, such as raising the age limit to purchase a semiautomatic weapon from 18 years old to 21 years old. Yet, the community leader says that number should be even higher.
Gun shop owner Tim Nelson says the new laws will only help his business.
“To be perfectly honest and quite blunt, they’re going to pass these bills and make these laws and this is going to increase my sales,” Nelson said.
The Intimidator Sports owner says gun control is not the solution to mass shootings.
“Everyone has the same opinion. You’re going after the gun and not the individual who has the issue,” Nelson said.
When asked if he thinks access to these guns contribute to the issue of gun violence, Nelson says that question has no good answer.
If the proposed legislation is approved, New York will make a number of changes. Some of those changes would include microstamping for new guns, which will allow detection of the exact bullets from the exact gun. Additionally, an increase of accountability from social media platforms, criminalizing threats of mass harm and much more.
