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A gun with a trigger lock.

To the Editor:

Before the end of the New York state Assembly session later this month, Assembly members will be voting on a common-sense gun violence prevention measure.

Nicholas's Law, a child access prevention bill, would mandate safe storage of guns in homes where children reside or visit. The law provides that guns not in the immediate or proximate possession of the gun's owner must be safely locked or stored away from children and other unauthorized users when not in the gun owner's possession.

The law is named for 12-year-old Nicholas Naumkin, of Saratoga Springs, who died after being unintentionally shot by a friend playing with his father's unlocked gun in December 2010.

New York state law currently requires that guns in the homes of convicted felons, drug abusers and those deemed mentally incompetent be safely stored or locked when not in the constructive possession of the owner.

We have no such safeguards for guns in homes where children reside or visit.

Researchers have found that millions of children live in homes with easily accessible guns. The presence of unlocked guns in the home increases the risk of accidental gun injuries, intentional shootings and suicides.



More than half of unintentional firearm deaths occur while children play with loaded guns. In almost half of those cases, the shooting occurred in the child's home and more than 90 percent of the time, there was no adult present.

We can protect the rights of guns owners and still keep our children safe in their homes and in the homes of family and friends.

Call your state legislators and tell them that you support Nicholas's Law (A53A-S2291) and common sense gun laws to protect our children.

Paul McQuillen

Upstate & Western New York coordinator

New Yorkers Against Gun Violence

Lake View