WESTBURY, N.Y. (WBEN) -- Gov. Kathy Hochul took aim at curbing gun violence in New York with a package of new legislation signed into law Thursday.
The new laws included prohibiting the possession of unfinished frames or receivers by anyone other than a licensed gunsmith or dealer in firearms and prohibiting the sale of ghosts guns and requiring gunsmiths/dealers to register firearms in their possession.
Another new law adds firearms designed to resemble toys to the definition of a “disguised gun.”
"Gun violence is a public health and public safety crisis that must be dealt with aggressively," said Hochul. "Working with partners at all levels, my administration will continue to crack down on the distribution and possession of dangerous weapons and put an end to the gun violence epidemic."
The moves come as the shooting rate in New York City more than doubled between 2019 and 2020, according to NYPD figures.
Officials said unfinished receivers are used to form the lower part of a firearm and can be combined with other pieces to make a working semi-auto weapon. State senators said these new laws close loopholes.
"If you can't pass a background check to get a gun, then you shouldn't be able to get a gun -- period. For too long, the unfinished receiver loophole let anyone get their hands on all the parts needed to build an untraceable, unregistered AR-15 without ever going through a background check, but today, we're taking historic action here in New York to close that dangerous loophole for good" said state Sen. Anna Kaplan.
Ghost guns, which are weapons that are unregistered and do not have serial numbers, making them tough to trace, have been a major talking point in the topic of gun control recent years.
Officials said ghost guns tend to end up in the hands up people with criminal records or others who wouldn’t pass a background check to legally own a gun.
State Sen. Brad Hoylman said New York has had a 479% increase in ghost gun seizures over the past three years.
"Ghost guns have exploded in popularity as people have taken to the internet to evade New York's strong laws requiring background checks and licensing, to gain access to deadly weapons they can construct in the comfort and privacy of their own homes," said Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal.
Officials took aim at guns resembling toys, and also prohibiting their manufacture or sale.
“Weapons capable of causing severe injury and death but that resemble toys are unjustifiably deceptive, and pose a clear threat to the safety of both children, who may mistake them for actual toys, and the public at large,” according to the governor’s office.
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