Today we went to the New York City Law Department at 100 Church Street to talk to Eric Proshansky. Eric is the Deputy Chief of the Affirmative Litigation Division. That means he handles all of the law suits where the city sues someone rather than someone suing the city. The division has sued gun manufacturers, and gun dealers. Eric was able to give us so much information on open carry laws and background checks. He told us all about NICS which stands for the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. He was able to tell us all about how it worked, and the loopholes in it. The way it works is that whenever you are diagnosed with any mental health issue, or have been convicted of a felony, it is recorded on your personal record. When you want to buy a gun, they check you up. However, sometimes people don’t show up in the system, and when this happens, the store assumes that the person is ok, and they sell them the gun. He was also incredible helpful in telling us about where and how illegal guns get sold, and the black market for guns. I was really surprised by it because apparently, black market guns get sold right on the streets of New York City in broad daylight. He also said that there’s a lot of current gun legislation happening in congress, and that writing to congresspeople would be a great way to make a difference in the world on this issue. He pointed us in the direction a few local organizations we could contact as well. I think our next step as a group would be to write to our congressmen and congresswomen.
