What's happening
This bill establishes a municipal gun tip hotline and fund, rewarding anonymous tips or surrendered illegal firearms with $500.
Why it matters
Creates a new, statewide infrastructure for anonymous gun tips and surrenders. , making it easier and safer for people to report or turn in illegal firearms without fear of prosecution or needing to testify, potentially increasing community participation in removing illegal guns.
Standardizes reward procedures and anonymity protections. , ensuring that anyone who provides a tip or surrenders a qualifying illegal firearm receives a $500 reward via a confidential process, regardless of whether an arrest or conviction occurs.
Mandates police protocols for handling surrendered firearms. , including checking serial numbers against crime databases, procedures for returning stolen property, and requirements for storing or using guns as evidence, which may improve accountability and tracking of illegal weapons.
Establishes a dedicated municipal gun tip hotline fund. that can accept public and private money, including seized assets, ensuring ongoing financial support for local law enforcement agencies that opt into the program and potentially expanding its reach and sustainability.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Create Gun Tip Hotlines
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
History
- Recommit, enacting clause stricken
- Referred to codes
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Create Gun Tip Hotlines
In Assembly Committee · Codes · Sponsor Linda Rosenthal
Full text
3 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
2097
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 22, 2019
Introduced by Sens. MAYER, BRESLIN, BROOKS, HOYLMAN, LIU -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Codes
AN ACT to amend the penal law and the state finance law, in relation to establishing a municipal gun tip hotline and municipal gun tip hotline fund
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The penal law is amended by adding a new section 400.15 to read as follows: § 400.15 Municipal gun tip hotline program.
1. For purposes of this section, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
(a) "Agency" means the police force or department of any county, city, town, or village or a county sheriff.
(b) "Municipal gun tip hotline program" means any program in which a fully functioning illegal firearm, rifle, shotgun or ammunition may be reported or surrendered to an agency pursuant to this section.
(c) "Superintendent" means the superintendent of the division of state police.
(d) "Secretary" means the secretary of the department of state.
2. The municipal gun tip hotline program is hereby established. Agencies may participate at their option as funds are allocated through the municipal gun tip hotline fund established under section ninety-seven-cc of the state finance law.
3. The division of state police, in conjunction with the department of state shall administer this program and promulgate any rules and regulations the superintendent deems necessary for the implementation of this program. Such rules may include:
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD01573-01-9
S. 2097 2
(a) guidelines for an agency participating in the program to coordinate with community groups within its jurisdiction. Such guidelines shall include, but not be limited to:
(i) allowing individuals to anonymously report or turn in illegal fully functioning guns and then collect a five hundred dollar reward;
(ii) all calls are anonymous and no arrest or conviction is required for the caller to receive the reward; and
(iii) individuals with information about the location of fully functioning illegal guns or who wish to turn in such firearms shall make two phone calls to the anonymous tip hotline established by the agency. During the initial phone conversation in which the caller provides information about the illegal firearm, the caller receives a confidential identification number and is instructed to call back at a later date. During the second phone call, the caller uses the identification number to check whether an illegal firearm was recovered as a result of the initial call and, if so, the caller is provided a second identification number and instructed to communicate with a specific bank to collect the reward of five hundred dollars;
(b) the manner in which an agency may apply for funds to support a municipal gun tip hotline program and the manner in which the funds will be allocated and distributed;
(c) guidelines for the safe storage and disposal of recovered firearms, rifles, shotguns, or ammunition in the possession of the participating agency, return of any recovered stolen property to its rightful owner as appropriate, and retention for evidence of any firearm, rifle, or shotgun determined to have been used in a crime; and
(d) provisions for checking the serial number of every firearm, rifle, or shotgun obtained by such gun buyback program against the New York Statewide Police Information Network records.
4. Any person participating in a municipal gun tip hotline program pursuant to this section shall be immune from criminal prosecution for the criminal offenses established by sections 265.01, 265.02, 265.03, and 265.05 of this chapter, provided the person is, in good faith, acting to surrender a firearm through the program.
5. Any police agency shall be authorized to develop and implement its own municipal gun tip hotline program provided it is otherwise permitted by law and conforms to the rules outlined in subdivision three of this section.
§ 2. The state finance law is amended by adding a new section 97-cc to read as follows:
§ 97-cc. Municipal gun tip hotline fund. 1. There is hereby established, in the joint custody of the superintendent of state police and the secretary of state a fund to be known as the municipal gun tip hotline fund.
2. The superintendent and the secretary shall promulgate rules and regulations for the implementation and distribution of this fund to assist municipalities in the municipal gun tip hotline program established under section 400.15 of the penal law. Such rules and regulations shall authorize police agencies that develop and implement their own plans pursuant to subdivision five of section 400.15 of the penal law to be eligible to participate in the municipal gun tip hotline fund, provided the superintendent of state police authorizes participation in the fund.
3. Funding may be allocated from the general fund or acquired through donations from private businesses, charities and individuals or from assets, seizures and forfeitures collected by the agencies.
S. 2097 3
§ 3. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and completed on or before such effective date.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the penal law and the state finance law, in relation to establishing a municipal gun tip hotline and munici- pal gun tip hotline fund
Purpose
This bill directs the Division of State Police, in conjunction with, the Department of State, to provide a statewide standard of for the safe removal of illegal, unsecured, abandoned, or unwanted firearms. These rules and regulations would replicate those programs that have been successfully implemented around the state.
Summary of specific provisions
Section one amends the penal law by adding a new section 400.15.
Section two amends the state finance law by adding a new section 97-cc. Section three sets forth the effective date.
Justification
Around the country, local communities in conjunction with their police departments have taken action to reduce the Proliferation of guns in our neighborhoods. In light of the recent events in Newton, CT., New York State has led the way in tightening access to assault weapons and ille- gal firearms.
Across the state, many organizations are hosting "gun buyback" programs to get rid of unwanted or illegal guns. While the popularity of these programs continues to grow, they do not occur everywhere and lack consistent standards. It is important that the State set minimum stand- ards to ensure that these programs accomplish their stated goals of reducing the proliferation of guns in our neighborhood and require that these programs take place in every county in the state.
This legislation would create sound guidelines and establish statewide regulations aimed at strengthening existing gun buyback programs and create new programs to ensure easy accessibility to the public, and that best practices are being followed by all localities.
Legislative history
2015-16: A.1315 - Referred to Codes 2013-14: A.6650 - Referred to Codes 2018: S8439
Fiscal implications
Undetermined.
Effective date
This bill shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of this act on its effective date is authorized to be made and completed on or before such effective date.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.