'Thoughts and Prayers Won't Fix This': NY Changes Gun Law

Sale of semiautomatic rifles restricted to those 21 and older
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jun 6, 2022 1:14 PM CDT
In New York, Teens Now Can't Buy Semiautomatic Rifles
A member of Moms Demand Action wears a face mask denouncing hate during a ceremony where Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a package of bills to strengthen gun laws, Monday, June 6, 2022, in New York.   (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

New Yorkers under age 21 will be prohibited from buying semiautomatic rifles under a new law signed Monday by Gov. Kathy Hochul, making the state one of the first to enact a major gun control initiative following a wave of deadly mass shootings, per the AP. Hochul, a Democrat, signed 10 gun-related bills, including one that will require microstamping in new firearms, which could help law enforcement solve gun-related crimes. Another strengthened the state's “red flag” law, which allows courts to temporarily take away guns from people who might be a threat to themselves or others, and another restricts the sale of body vests and armor to civilians.

New York's Legislature passed the bills last week, pushing the changes through after a pair of mass shootings involving 18-year-old gunmen using semiautomatic rifles. Ten Black people died in a racist attack on a Buffalo supermarket May 14. A Texas school shooting took the lives of 19 children and two teachers 10 days later. The governor said New York will continue to invest in prevention of gun-related crimes by partnering with local communities and continuing to strengthen laws by putting pressure on Congress. “Today is the start, and it’s not the end,” said Hochul. “Thoughts and prayers won’t fix this."

(More New York state stories.)

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