GUN VIOLENCE IS MULTIDIMENSIONAL.
SO IS OUR RESPONSE.
Youth Education
People carry guns because they feel unsafe, unheard, and without options.
ReACTION, our yearlong, in-school program, and the Miller Mentorship, our paid summer internship, teach students to examine the risk factors that fuel violence, most notably trauma, racism, and structural inequity.
Both programs empower students to understand their communities, to know their rights, and to develop the skills for demanding change. ReACTION culminates with an annual trip to Albany or Washington, D.C., in which students advocate directly to lawmakers.
The ReACTION Reach:
10,000
NYC students reached over the last decade.
750+
youth workshops
every year
18+
New York City
schools served
Correctly answers basic questions about gun violence
Before ReACTION: 50%
After ReACTION: 90%
Knows that mental illness is not a driver of gun violence
Before ReACTION: <40%
After ReACTION: 86%
Understands the disproportionate impact of gun violence on Black and brown communities
Before ReACTION: 57%
After ReACTION: 90%
Legislative Advocacy
NYAGV advocates for practical, life-saving policies that keep people safe in their homes, reduce the flow of illegal guns, and close dangerous loopholes. Our goals are clear: Fewer shootings. Fewer suicides. Safer communities across New York.
RECENT LEGISLATIVE WINS:
Established a permanent NYS Office of Gun Violence Prevention. [2025]
Worked in partnership with state legislators to draft and pass the nation’s first gun accountability law, which holds gun manufacturers legally responsible for unsafe practices that endanger public safety. [2021] As of 2026, eight other states have followed New York’s lead.
Expanded protections for domestic violence survivors, including mandatory firearm removal at domestic violence scenes. [2020]
Established the Red Flag Law, giving courts the power to temporarily remove guns from individuals who pose a danger to themselves or others. [2019]
Passed universal background checks on guns and ammunition and a strong ban on assault weapons ban and high-capacity magazines [2013]
OUR CURRENT AGENDA
Safe storage legislation is crucial to preventing mass shootings, suicides, domestic violence, and other gun violence.
That’s why we’re working to pass Francesco’s Law, named for a 17-year-old New Yorker who took his own life using an unsecured firearm, which would require that all guns in all households—regardless of who lives there—be secured when they're not in the owner's immediate control.
Francesco's Law replaces a conditional standard with a consistent one: Every gun secured, every household protected. Francesco’s Law has already passed both houses of the New York State Legislature. Click here to urge Gov. Hochul to sign it into law:
COMMUNITY and SURVIVOR SUPPORT
Our survivor and community support work connects victims with critical government and community resources, integrates trauma-informed practices across our programs, and helps communities navigate both the immediate and long-term impacts of gun violence. We partner with schools, grassroots organizations, faith leaders, violence interruption programs, and public agencies to build stronger networks of care.
Click here to access NYS government victim compensation.
If you or someone you know needs assistance, please fill out our referral form and a survivor advocate will contact you within 72 hours.