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Causes.com
| 6.10.22

New York Governor Signs New Gun Control Bills

Should more states do the same?

What’s the story? 

  • New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed a package of 10 gun control bills into law in wake of the recent mass shootings. The legislation was signed on Monday and sets limits on buying assault-style weapons, body armor, and other measures. 
  • The package raises the age requirement to purchase or possess a semi-automatic rifle from 18 to 21 years old. It also requires social media companies operating in New York to adopt policies on how they respond to hate speech on their platforms. 
  • New York joins various other states, including Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Vermont, and Washington, requiring buyers of semi-automatic rifles to be 21 years of age. 

The big picture

  • United States lawmakers are taking action against violence after the mass shootings across America in recent weeks, including Buffalo, New York; Uvalde, Texas; Tulsa, Oklahoma; and Orange County, California. 
  • The gunmen in Buffalo and Uvalde were both 18 years old. The former shared his intentions to carry out the shooting spree on social media and wore body armor during the attack. 
  • In most places in New York, children as young as 16 would still be able to carry other types of rifles and shotguns. 

Federal action 

  • This week, the House voted in favor of two gun control bills – the Federal Extreme Risk Protection Order Act and the Protecting Our Kids Act. 
  • The Federal Extreme Risk Protection Order Act of 2021 would implement a federal “red flag law” with procedures for federal courts to issue extreme risk protection orders (ERPOs) that prohibit a person deemed an imminent threat to themselves or others from purchasing, possessing, or receiving a firearm or ammunition. It would also establish a federal grant program to provide funding for states and localities to implement red flag laws. These red flag laws would effectively block the subject of an ERPO from purchasing a firearm and would allow law enforcement to legally seize their firearms for the duration of the order.
  • The Protecting Our Kids Act would enact a package of eight gun control bills that have been introduced individually by Democratic lawmakers. It would raise the age to buy semi-automatic rifles and shotguns from 18 to 21; ban “ghost guns”; and require secure storage of guns, among other provisions.

Should more states have gun control laws like New York’s?


-Jamie Epstein & Eric Revell

(Photo Credit: iStock.com / Michael Vi)