NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- Gov. Kathy Hochul announced two executive orders, a legislative package and an investigation by New York Attorney General Letitia James on Wednesday that will target guns, domestic extremism and social media in New York State.
The push comes in response to a white supremacist terrorist attack on a supermarket in a predominantly Black neighborhood in Buffalo that killed 10 people and injured three on Saturday.
"The horrific and despicable act of terror committed by a white supremacist this past weekend in Buffalo showed that we as a country are facing an intersection of two crises: the mainstreaming of hate speech — including white nationalism, racism and white supremacy — and the easy access to military-style weapons and magazines," said Hochul. "This is a wake-up call and here in New York we are taking strong steps to directly address this deadly threat."
Executive order 18 is designed to curtail violent domestic extremism.
It establishes a Threat Assessment Management Program under the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services that will develop best practices to address domestic extremism on a local level, use social media to monitor violent hate speech and distribute funding to counties in order to establish local threat assessment management teams made up of law enforcement and school officials.
The executive order also establishes a dedicated unit under the New York State Police to track domestic extremism through social media.
State police brought the Buffalo shooter in for questioning and a psychiatric evaluation in June 2021 after he made generalized threats online, according to officials.
He was released, and authorities said neither the FBI nor state police were monitoring him or his social media presence.
As a result, he was able to discuss plans for the shooting online with no intervention.
Executive order 19 obligates state police to file an Extreme Risk Protection Order whenever they have probable cause to do so.
ERPOs are issued by a judge to prevent people who pose a risk to themselves or others from owning firearms.
The legislative package aims to crackdown on guns in New York State.
If passed, it would close loopholes by widening the legal definition of “firearm,” require pistols sold in New York to include a microstamping feature that makes it easier to trace bullets and mandate police report the recovery of a gun used in a crime within 24 hours.
The shooter got his guns from a store in Endicott, N.Y.
An ERPO might have prevented him from obtaining the weapons. It is also possible that better social media monitoring might have raised flags allowing for an intervention before the shooting.
The legislation Hochul proposed affects pistols, which the shooter didn’t use, and strengthens investigations after a shooting takes place, which would not have impacted the outcome of this attack.
In 2021, there were 73 terrorist attacks and exposed terrorism plots in the United States, 38 of which originated from white supremacists.
Reverend Al Sharpton, whose National Action Network group is covering the funeral costs for victims, encouraged legislative action to curtail such attacks.
"It is imperative that government and legislators take very seriously the threat of race-based domestic terrorism and do all within its power to confront it; just as in the history in this country, legislators and governors rose to the occasion whether it be Jim Crow laws, women rights laws, and LGBTQIA rights Laws,” said Sharpton. “We must rise to the occasion now of dealing with race-based white supremacy domestic terrorism with legislation.”
The attorney general’s office will investigate social media platforms the Buffalo shooter used to discuss his plans or spread his ideology.
He posted his 180-page manifesto on 4chan, discussed his plans on Discord and streamed the shooting on Twitch. James will examine all three of these platforms.
She will have the power to subpoena witnesses and documents during her investigation.
"The terror attack in Buffalo has once again revealed the depths and danger of the online forums that spread and promote hate," said James. "The fact that an individual can post detailed plans to commit such an act of hate without consequence and then stream it for the world to see is bone chilling and unfathomable. As we continue to mourn and honor the lives that were stolen, we are taking serious action to investigate these companies for their roles in this attack.”
Hochul has vowed to use James’ findings to enhance New York’s strategy for combating extremism.
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