Res. No. 49
Title
Resolution calling upon the New York City Department of Education to include age-appropriate gun violence prevention curriculum in all schools.
Body
By Council Members Cumbo, Williams, Gibson, Cabrera, Powers and Maisel
Whereas, Gun violence in the United States is at epidemic levels and is increasing; and
Whereas, According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2015, the latest year for which data is available, there were 33,252 deaths attributed to firearms in the U.S., up from 28,663 in 2000; and
Whereas, However, deaths from firearms are only part of the picture, as many other people are fortunate to survive gunshot wounds; and
Whereas, According to the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, each year, on average, 114,994 people in America are shot in murders, assaults, suicides & suicide attempts, unintentional shootings, or by police intervention and 33,880 of them die; and
Whereas, Of this annual average number of people shot in America, 17,012 are children and teenagers ages 0-19 and 2,647 of them die according to the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence; and
Whereas, Further, American children 5-14 years old are 17 times more likely to be murdered by a firearm, 10 times more likely to die by suicide, and 9 times more likely to die from unintentional firearm injury than children in other industrialized countries, according to Doctors for America; and
Whereas, Besides being a serious public safety issue, there is a growing consensus among the nations' top medical organizations that gun violence is a public health crisis; and
Whereas, Efforts in the areas of drug and alcohol abuse prevention have demonstrated that preventive education can reduce the risks for youth; and
Whereas, Under New York State Law and the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education, all schools under the jurisdiction of the State Education Department must provide a program of health a...
Click here for full text