Richard Aborn is a proven crime-fighter and true progressive with a vision to effectively prevent crime and the track record to get it done. No one will be tougher going after violent crime — but it's time for new ideas that go beyond the old reactive model of simply prosecuting crime after it occurs.

A former prosecutor and defense attorney, Aborn knows the criminal justice system inside and out. After graduating from law school in 1979, Richard began his long career in criminal justice as an Assistant District Attorney, spending five years in the Manhattan DA's office under Robert Morgenthau. At the District Attorney’s office, Aborn prosecuted the most violent of felonies, convicting murderers and those committing other heinous crimes.
In 1984, Aborn left the D.A.’s office and started his own law firm, Aborn and Anesi, where he worked as a criminal defense attorney and represented victims of fraud.

As an Assistant District Attorney, Aborn had become enormously frustrated by the relentless nature of guns used in homicides, leading to the realization that the fight against gun violence cannot be won one gun at a time -- or even with New York’s own tough gun control laws. As a result, Aborn would later devote many years leading the charge to pass rigorous national and state gun laws rather than just prosecuting the violent crimes committed with guns.

In 1992, Aborn was tapped by Handgun Control, Inc. to be its national president -- and went on to achieve nationwide stature as a preeminent gun control leader in the United States.

At the helm of Handgun Control, Aborn stood up to the NRA time and again, handed them their first real series of legislative defeats, and was hailed as a mastermind behind the successful passage of the Brady Bill, the national Assault Weapons Ban and the ban on large volume clips.

Richard was commissioned by New York City in 1999 to conduct an investigation into the NYPD’s disciplinary decisions in the fatal shooting of Amadou Diallo. He also conducted an investigation into the department’s disciplinary system and its response to civilian complaints of misconduct. After his report, the number of complaints being dismissed went down significantly.

In 2004, Aborn joined Constantine Cannon, a nationally-recognized law firm with 50 to 175 lawyers (depending on case load). As managing partner of the firm, Aborn supervises a large number of attorneys, prepares them for trial, reviews legal strategies, and manages a significant budget.

Richard is currently on leave from his position as president of the Citizens Crime Commission of New York, which he joined in 2005. In that capacity, Richard led on several important criminal justice issues, including helping pass a new state law allowing for expanded use of DNA to fight crime and exonerate the innocent. Aborn was a vocal and effective leader on this issue, and assembled a coalition of supporters for the legislation, including victims and advocates.

Aborn is an active member of the New York State Bar Association Task Force on Wrongful Convictions, continuing to attend meetings and lead on the issue. As Chair of the Task Force’s Compensation Subcommittee, Aborn helped devise ways to adequately compensate those who have been wrongfully convicted.

Richard Aborn also serves on the boards of New Yorkers Against Gun Violence, Harlem Mothers SAVE (a program aimed at preventing gun violence in Harlem by going after its root causes), the Westside Crime Prevention Council, the Tanenbaum Center, PBS/WLIW, and CASES, an organization focused on deterring youth from crime.

Richard has lived in Manhattan his entire adult life and currently resides on the Upper West Side with his wife, Ingrid, and their 18-year-old daughter.