Relates to certifying instructors in small arms practice

◆ The sponsor's argument

Why Brian Kavanagh says this is needed

When the definition of "duly authorized instructor" was added to the penal law in 1997, gun rights and gun safety looked different than they do today. Since the mass shooting at Columbine High School in 1999, more than 311,000 students at 331 schools have been exposed to gun violence at school. In that same time frame, mass shootings and daily gun violence have continued at a frequent pace all across America. The State of New York has a strong interest in encouraging public safe- ty, and in ensuring that any gun safety curricula used in the state serve that goal. This bill aims to ensure that all gun safety instruc- tors are equipped with the tools they need to teach gun owners how to handle firearms safely. Both the curriculum for instructors and instruc- tor certification need to be updated to account for public safety chang- es in a post-Columbine world. As the entity that collects and analyzes a variety of data on crimes and criminal activity in the state, DCJS possesses a deep understanding of the nature of crime, who commits crimes, and why. DCJS will be able to develop standards and curricula that reflect modern safety standards and best practices and are free from a political agenda.

This is the sponsor's own case for the bill, quoted from their memorandum. It is not Agora's description of what the bill does.