Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, State Sen. Shelley Mayer, County Executive George Latimer, the Yonkers Police Department, and other lawmakers representing the City of Yonkers, together with the family of Michael Nolan, gathered at YPD headquarters Dec. 18 to celebrate the signing of statewide gun buyback legislation based upon the successful program of the Yonkers Police Department.
This legislation is modeled on the successful City of Yonkers’ Gun Buyback Program, and authorizes the New York State Police to establish guidelines and regulations to encourage the creation of gun buyback programs throughout the state. The new law also creates a statewide gun buyback fund to assist municipalities with the cost of the program.
“In just our first year as the new Senate Democratic Majority, we achieved major victories in the fight against gun violence,” said Stewart-Cousins. “This statewide gun buyback program, inspired by the successful Yonkers program to get guns off of our streets, will help keep communities around New York safer. I applaud my friend and colleague Sen. Shelley Mayer for sponsoring this legislation and being a leader on gun safety efforts.”
Mayer said, thanks to the leadership of Stewart-Cousins, New York State is a leader in gun violence prevention measures to protect families and communities from the scourge of gun violence.
“I am grateful that one of the measures that we passed this year in the State Legislature was my bill to take the successful Yonkers’ Gun Buyback Program statewide,” she said. “The loss of Michael Nolan was a tragedy for his family and for the City of Yonkers. I commend the Nolan family for channeling their deep grief into positive action. Congratulations to the Yonkers Police Department for creating a unique, reliable and successful gun buyback program that will now be used as a model statewide.”
Michael Nolan passed away Oct. 8, 2015 after being gunned down three weeks earlier while outside of a Burger King parking lot on Central Park Avenue in Yonkers.
Nolan was a graduate of Saunders Trades and Technical High School. A 6-foot-8-inch-tall left-handed pitcher and star athlete, he had been drafted to play for the Oakland A’s. Since his passing, Jimmy Nolan Jr. and the Nolan family have been channeling their grief into positive action to ensure that his passing would not be in vain.
The Nolan family made several trips to Albany to press for the passage of the bill to take the Yonkers’ Gun Buyback Program statewide.
“Gun violence is a national epidemic that rips apart families and communities,” said Mayor Mike Spano. “We need to take substantive action and I applaud Sen. Mayer for taking the Yonkers Police Department’s lead in putting this effective program into place. I am proud of the work our police have done locally and look forward to seeing this program save lives statewide.”
“What we are celebrating here is a story of turning a tragedy into a triumph,” added County Executive George Latimer. “This legislation will result in more guns in New York State being taken off of the streets – and that alone will save lives. Gun violence is an epidemic in our nation and I am proud to be here today with the great men and women of the Yonkers Police Department, my colleagues in government, and the courageous Nolan family to take a stand against it.”
Yonkers Police Commissioner John Mueller said too many families in New York are devastated by gun violence.
“Our successful gun tips hotline program is designed to remove illegal handguns from our streets in an effort to save lives and enhance community safety,” he said. “To date, over 200 guns have been recovered. We are proud that the state is modeling their program based on what we do in the City of Yonkers.”
Jimmy Nolan Jr., brother of Michael Nolan and a gun violence prevention advocate, called the occasion bittersweet.
“It’s great because it’s a program with great success that we have worked extremely hard on, but hard because I wish I didn’t have to join it for the reason that I did,” he said. “I am forever thankful to the City of Yonkers, Yonkers Police Department, and all of our elected officials for allowing me to join the program and take it to new levels to help protect many people and keep our community safe. I know my brother Michael would be very proud and honored that the Yonkers Gun Tip Hotline is the first of its kind in New York State. This fight to protect people from illegal gun violence is a part of my brother’s legacy, and I will not stop fighting for him or anyone else. Michael was robbed of so much, but they will not take his legacy from him, and I will make sure of that.”
Assemblymember Nader Sayegh said the statewide gun buyback legislation is a tribute to the life and legacy of Michael Nolan.
“I commend the Yonkers Police Department’s successful Gun Buyback Model Program, which will now become statewide and potentially national,” he said. “We are proud of the Nolan family for their tireless efforts in our campaign against gun violence and its detrimental impact on many families and communities all across our state and nation.”
Yonkers City Council President Mike Khader added: “I applaud the signing of statewide gun buyback legislation, and take pride knowing Yonkers paved the way for this important and necessary measure. Far too many have fallen victim to senseless gun violence, and it is time for lawmakers to put forth preventative measures, like this bill, to protect our families and children from such crime. I am sorry the Nolan family has suffered firsthand, but am grateful they chose to use their tragedy in a positive and impactful way.”
