Curbing Gun Violence and Safe Communities

Having served in uniform himself, Max knows that our men and women in law enforcement take on unbelievable risks throughout an ordinary workday. Max supports increasing our investment in public safety to ensure our first responders are well-trained, well-paid, well-led and able to meet the demands we place on them. Max wants to see all public safety officials and first responders provided with strong, union backed, middle class salaries and benefits which will enable them to provide for their families in comfort.

When it comes to policing, Max believes that law enforcement should be focused on serious violent crime, particularly to address the rise in gun violence in recent years. Max supports Mayor Adam’s efforts to establish a gun violence focused NYPD unit and as Congressman will work to ensure that the NYPD receives the resources it needs to do its job right. During his time in office, Max worked to end the gun violence epidemic, sponsoring a bill signed by President Trump to study the threat of “ghost guns,” dangerous untraceable weapons that have posed a risk to NYPD officers and the general public for years. Max also actively supported the Bipartisan Background Checks Act to close loopholes around background checks and ensure that terrorists, criminals, and domestic abusers cant’ acquire guns. Max supports banning assault weapons, which endanger police and civilians alike and have no place on our street, banning high capacity magazines and bump stocks, passing “Red Flag” laws to keep weapons out of the hands of those with violent intentions, and investing in gun buyback programs to reduce the flow of illegal weapons around the country.

As our Congressman, Max helped secure millions in federal Homeland Security Grants to the NYPD and other local law enforcement agencies. He secured $50 million in new counterterrorism funding for the NYPD, as well as an additional $245.5 million in other federal grants to local and state law enforcement. After successfully leading an amendment that increased funding for the Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Program by $3 million for Fiscal Year 2020, he continued his leadership and passed an amendment to increase those funds by another $2.5 million for Fiscal Year 2021 so we can support the mental health of first responders. Max also cosponsored the Protect and Serve Act, which makes it a federal crime to intentionally assault a law enforcement officer while in the process of interstate travel. As the first post-9/11 combat veteran serving New York City in elected office, Max never forgot that our city is on the frontlines of the fight against terrorism. Max strongly supports the NYPD and all of New York’s first responders and is fighting to ensure that they receive the resources they need to keep us all safe.

Our NYPD officers, firefighters, and EMTs have put their lives on the line during the COVID-19 pandemic since day one. That’s why Max co-lead legislation to ensure public safety officers who contract the coronavirus while on duty are eligible to receive death and disability benefits, without unnecessary legal hurdles. Ultimately, Max pushed leaders in both parties to get the Public Safety Officer Pandemic Response Act signed into law.