Schleifer Unveils "STOP" Gun Violence: Sweeping Gun Reform Plan

Schleifer Took Dozens of Illegal Guns off the Street as a Prosecutor, and Will Ban Millions of Dangerous Weapons as a Member of Congress

Schleifer Warns that COVID-19 Fears Have Led to a Surge in Gun Sales

Schleifer: “Enough.”

White Plains, NY – Adam P. Schleifer, a Democratic Candidate for U.S. Congress in New York’s 17th District, unveiled his sweeping gun control plan, “STOP” (Securing Threats and Ongoing Protection). Specifically, he will support and introduce legislation to mandate universal background checks, a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, and “red flag” laws that prevent those in mental health crises from obtaining firearms. Schleifer’s plan comes after spending years as a federal prosecutor fighting illegal gun possession and the community-destroying effects of gun violence. Schleifer also endured a dangerous experience when a first-grader in New York City public schools, when a classmate pointed a loaded gun at him.

“Now is the time to stop senseless gun deaths,” said Schleifer. “America has had enough carnage due to weapons of war flooding our streets. The COVID-19 era has seen the largest surge in background checks in our nation’s history, while millions of illegal firearms fall through the cracks. As a federal prosecutor, I took illegal guns off the streets. As your congressman, I’ll keep illegal guns off the street. When I was in first grade, I had a loaded gun pointed at my head, and I was one of the lucky ones. Through robust, commonsense reform, I’ll work relentlessly to keep our children and citizens safe.”

According to the FBI database, last month set the all-time record for the number of National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) background checks since the creation of the system over two decades ago. After the announcement of federal social distancing guidelines in mid-March, Americans rushed the gun stores. The five days that followed all made the list of the most background checks in a single day, ever—no other year has more than one day in the top 10, let alone five in one week. By the end of March, NICS saw 3.7 million background check requests, 1.1 million more than the same month last year. The surge in gun sales puts a massive strain on the system and increases the risk that people who should be denied a gun slip through the cracks.

Schleifer pointed out that commonsense gun reform is needed now more than ever. COVID-19 fears have led to record-breaking gun sales and a potential increase in domestic violence. He will not only push for a federal assault weapons ban, but will broaden the federal preemption laws to include ammunition and high capacity magazines meant for weapons of war.

Schleifer will introduce and support federal legislation to increase the amount of time investigators have to complete background checks on gun purchasers to 30 days, ten times the current limit, and to keep records of all delayed background checks until they’re complete. While federal law requires licensed gun dealers to run background checks on all prospective gun buyers, due to an NRA-backed loophole in the 1993 Brady Bill, gun sales can proceed by default after only three business days—even without a completed background check. Each year, this loophole puts thousands of firearms in the hands of people who are legally prohibited from possessing them. While most background checks are completed on the spot, typically 10 percent of all federal checks—1.2 million of the 3.7 million in March 2020—require additional time and 3 percent are delayed longer than three days. Schleifer will fight to close that loophole.

Schleifer will also enact “red flag” laws to prevent those in mental health crises from obtaining dangerous firearms. Specifically he will support extreme risk laws so that law enforcement and family members can act on warning signs of gun violence and temporarily prevent access to firearms; secure firearm storage laws to address the primary source of guns used in school gun violence—the shooter’s home or the homes of family or friends—and educational programs to raise awareness about the importance of secure storage; raise the age to purchase semiautomatic firearms to 21; and require background checks on all gun sales so that minors and people with dangerous histories can’t evade our gun laws. He will also oppose any efforts to arm teachers in schools. Instead, he will push the federal government to fund evidence-based threat assessments in schools and increased security upgrades.

Schleifer pointed to the rise of ghost guns as one of the most insidious gun safety problems today. A ghost gun is a DIY, homemade gun made from readily available, unregulated building blocks. It is produced by an individual, not a federally licensed manufacturer or importer. Schleifer, when elected to Congress, vowed to amend federal law to reach and regulate the parts and sales of DIY gun manufacturing kits, including the at-home manufacturing of the “lower receiver” part necessary for many ghost guns.

Schleifer vowed to hold gun manufacturers accountable. One of his top legislative priorities in Congress will be to enforce mandatory background checks on all gun sales. He pointed out that 99.9 percent of New Yorkers live within 10 miles of a gun dealer. He pointed out there are nearly 62,000 unique gun dealers across the country, more than four times the number of McDonald’s in the United States.

An outline of Schleifer’s STOP (Securing Threats and Ongoing Protection) Plan for gun reform below:

• Universal background checks, because we should be at least as careful about who wields a firearm as we are about who drives a car.
• A ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. In civil society, no one needs a weapon of war.
• Enact “red flag” laws, so that persons in mental health crises or distress are disallowed from possessing firearms. If a person cannot safely possess a firearm, it should not be legal for them to do so.
• Regulate DIY parts and sales of “ghost guns” so that anyone with a drill and a free hour cannot assemble an illegal firearm.
• Hold gun manufacturers accountable.

About Adam Schleifer:

Adam Schleifer, 38, graduated from Chappaqua’s public schools in 1999 and went on to attend Cornell University and Columbia University Law School, where he served as a Senior & Staff Development Editor on the Columbia Law Review. After graduating from law school, Schleifer served two years as a federal law clerk, first in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and then in the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Schleifer then built a career at one of the nation’s leading law firms before reentering public service, first as a New York State consumer-protection regulator, and then as an Assistant United States Attorney. Schleifer has prosecuted regulatory and federal-criminal actions against predatory payday and subprime auto lenders; taken dangerous and illegal weapons out of communities; prosecuted crimes of sexual violence and predation; and protected our clean air by prosecuting a conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act. Adam Schleifer and his wife, Nicole, are residents of New Castle.

Read more about Adam Schleifer at www.AdamSchleifer.com.

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