Cracking Down on Violent and Repeat Offenders

  • Successfully pushed to give judges more discretion to detain individuals accused of violent crimes, serious felonies, or repeat offenses.

  • Expanded the number of serious and violent offenses that can be prosecuted as hate crimes.

  • Voted to establish a law enforcement task force to crack down on retail crime.

  • Sponsored and passed legislation to establish the crime of making a threat of mass harm to help authorities deter and prosecute those who terrorize communities with violent threats.

  • Sponsoring legislation to give judges more discretion to impose bail on auto theft-related offenses.

Eliminating Gun Violence

  • Helped pass record funding for law enforcement to tackle gun violence, leading to a historic decrease in violent crime in Western New York, including an approximately 50% drop in shootings and homicides in the City of Buffalo since 2021.

  • Helped pass legislation to raise the legal age of purchasing a semi-automatic rifle to 21 and require a permit for such weapons, following the devastating, racist mass shooting at Tops on May 14, 2022.

  • Passed legislation to prohibit and criminalize ghost guns as well as components used to manufacture ghost guns.

  • Supports legislation to prevent modifying legal firearms into deadlier automatic weapons or assault rifles.

  • Passed legislation to fund research into gun violence in order to identify novel solutions to address gun crime.

  • Secured funding for Buffalo Peacemakers to engage young people, maintain a presence in public spaces, and prevent violence.

Empowering and protecting survivors of domestic violence:

  • Secured $50,000 for the Family Justice Center for technology to identify and assist domestic violence survivors.

  • Sponsoring legislation to raise the penalty for assaults that involve domestic violence.

  • Authored legislation to give judges power to grant temporary emergency spousal support to survivors of domestic violence.

  • Passed legislation that prohibits employers from discriminating against domestic violence survivors.

  • Passed several bills to remove barriers that prevent domestic violence survivors from escaping abusers.

  • Passed a law to limit domestic abusers’ access to firearms.

“Protecting the public has always been among my top priorities. Over the past two years, we have seen a historic drop in violent crime in Western New York. I’ll continue to support common-sense gun laws, policies to give judges and law enforcement discretion to detain dangerous individuals, and funding for police agencies to help make our state safer than ever.”