NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) – Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a 10-bill gun reform package Monday, making the state one of the first to enact a major gun control initiative following a wave of deadly mass shootings, including at a supermarket in Buffalo about three weeks ago.
Hochul signed the bills at the Northeast Bronx YMCA in Edenwald. A number of officials were on hand for the signing, including Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and state Attorney General Letitia James.
The bills are in response to the May 14 Buffalo shooting in which authorities said an 18-year-old white supremacist targeted Black people at a Tops supermarket. Ten people were killed in the shooting.
Among the bills is one that bans anyone under age 21 from buying or possessing a semi-automatic rifle in the state.
Other legislation will restrict civilian purchases of bullet-resistant armor, which was worn by the killer in Buffalo, and require new guns to be equipped with micro-stamping technology that can help law enforcement investigators trace bullets to particular firearms.
The bills will also criminalize the threat of attacks and expand eligibility under the state’s “red flag law,” which can bar individuals from possessing firearms if they’re believed to be a threat to themselves or others.
Additionally, they will require social media companies to monitor and report hateful content on their platforms, and they'll establish a task force to investigate the role social media plays in promoting domestic terrorism.
The governor said recent shootings have been a “wakeup call” for the country and that “we will not tolerate it any longer.”
“It just keeps happening—shots ring out, flags come down and nothing ever changes,” she said. “Except here in New York. In New York, we are taking bold, strong action.”
Hochul said gun violence is now the leading cause of death for children in the U.S. She said car accidents were the cause for some 60 years.
“That was not okay with us, so we took action,” the governor said. “People adapted, they got used to it, and guess what? We saved the lives of thousands of children. And it was clearly worth it.”
During Thursday’s vote in the state legislature, Stewart-Cousins said, “We never want a tragedy like Buffalo to happen again.”
The new laws are unlikely to stem gun violence in the Bronx, as most firearms used in the city’s shootings are obtained illegally.
Mayor Eric Adams appointed a gun violence czar last week in his latest effort to stem an expected surge in shootings this summer. The mayor has yet another “public safety” announcement scheduled for Monday morning.
New York's legislation was passed as the U.S. Congress debates national gun control measures following the mass shooting in Buffalo and at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, where 19 students and two teachers were killed.
Just this past weekend, there were reportedly a dozen mass shootings nationwide, including in Philadelphia and Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Hochul said the state can’t wait for the federal government to act.
“If no one else will lead, this is New York, that’s what we do best,” Hochul said.
“Today is the start, and it's not the end,” the governor continued. “Thoughts and prayers won't fix this but taking strong action will. We will do that in the name of the lives that have been lost, for the parents who will no longer see their children stepping off the school bus.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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