Staff
November 24, 2025
A scathing new report from the New York State Inspector General has uncovered major gaps in firearm oversight across the City University of New York’s public safety system — prompting a wave of reforms that now extend to every state agency that arms its employees.
The investigation, released Monday, found outdated, inconsistent, and at times dangerously lax firearm policies among CUNY’s more than 400 armed peace officers. Some had returned to duty with weapons after domestic violence incidents or mental health crises without proper review.
The report cited three serious breakdowns between 2020 and 2024, including one in which an officer involved in a domestic violence incident later shot two NYPD officers. In another, officers were allowed on campus while intoxicated and armed — including one with an unlicensed weapon.
Inspector General Lucy Lang said, “Safety in New York’s public institutions depends on clear rules, responsible stewardship of state-issued firearms, and close attention to the risks associated with domestic violence and mental-health concerns.”
CUNY’s official Operations Guide was described as outdated, with sections unchanged since the 1990s and conflicting instructions around how to handle dangerous conduct, restore firearm privileges, or respond to unauthorized guns on campus.
The report also found CUNY lacked consistent firearm tracking systems like logbooks or daily equipment checks. Some campuses created their own procedures, while others had none.
In response, New York State has issued a new directive requiring all executive agencies to adopt modern, uniform firearm policies — covering everything from storage and use to annual review. The Division of Criminal Justice Services will now oversee and approve each agency’s policy submissions.
Key recommendations include mandatory reviews after domestic violence or mental health incidents, prompt discipline for policy violations, and new required training on identifying unsafe or unauthorized firearm use.
Groups including the NYS Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Moms Demand Action praised the reforms, pointing to the life-saving importance of secure firearm storage and survivor-centered policies.
CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez said the university system has already begun addressing the findings by improving training, updating emergency plans, and boosting officer recruitment. “My top priority is the safety of our community,” he said.
Lang said the case shows how one internal review can “identify and fix systemic problems across government,” adding that New York’s new accountability framework sets a national example for firearm safety and reform.
