BRONX, N.Y. (NCC News) — New York state today became one of the first states to enact new gun legislation following the string of recent mass shootings.
Gov. Kathy Hochul signed several new laws into place regarding guns in New York. One of these laws was raising the age to purchase or own a semi-automatic weapon from 18 to 21.
Other laws signed by the governor included stronger “red flag” laws that could prevent people who are considered a threat from purchasing a firearm and makes it more difficult to purchase body armor.
“We’re raising the age of semi-automatic weapons so no 18-year-old can walk in on their birthday and walk out with an AR-15,” Hochul said during her address in the Bronx today. During the address she was surrounded by several democratic members of New York State government including Attorney General Letitia James and newly appointed Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado.
The legislation comes a few weeks after the Buffalo shooting, in which an 18-year-old man allegedly shot and killed 10 people in a grocery store with an AR-15 rifle. He was also wearing body armor and a military grade helmet during the shooting according to reports.
New York had already required people to be 21 to own a handgun, so younger people under the age of 21 will now only be able to own certain types of rifles and shotguns.
The laws add to the growing list of gun control legislation passed in the state of New York with New York having some of the strictest gun laws in the country.
“We blame the gun for the individual. It’s very lame, it’s the lamest excuse we can have,” says Intimidator Sports owner Timothy Nelson. Intimidator Sports is a gun shop in Central New York. Nelson has owned the shop for 20 years. As well as feeling that Hochul and other democratic politicians are restricting their freedoms as gun owners, he also thinks they are focusing on the wrong issue.
“Don’t blame the gun because someone has an illness,” Nelson sees the mass shootings as a mental health issue instead of a gun issue, a common sentiment shared among pro-gun activists across the nation.
On the other side of the issue, some people think these laws are only the first step to a total ban.
“I wish it was a full ban on the weapons on war which these are,” Onondaga County Legislator Mary Kuhn said regarding the new measures. She wants guns to be completely ban for all types and all ages.
The laws passed through the New York Senate in a 43-20 vote and in the Assembly 102-47 on Thursday. The restrictions on semi-automatic rifles will be put into place immediately.
