Gov. Kathy Hochul announces new proposed bills to tighten New York gun laws
Originally published in
CBS New York
NEW YORK -- New York state is expected to pass a slew of legislation this week that will tighten gun laws across the state.
As CBS2's Ali Bauman reports, Gov. Kathy Hochul has agreed on this legislation with the state Senate Majority Leader and the Assembly Speaker, so it is expected to pass.
The legislators say it will close loopholes that allowed the alleged gunman in Buffalo to carry out his carnage, but Republicans say the bills make for cheap headlines without addressing underlying issues.
One of the biggest changes in this legislation would raise the minimum age to buy a semi-automatic rifle from 18 to 21 years old and require a license prior to purchase.
"This is going to force these gun dealers to do a background check, go through character and fitness," Sen. Kevin Thomas said.
"In Florida, after the Parkland shooting, they raised the age for buying any guns to 21. Why not do something like that here?" Bauman asked.
"We are going in the right direction with this," Thomas said.
New Yorkers who already own a semi-automatic rifle or body armor would be grandfathered in, according to state senators.
This legislation package would also mandate microstamping for new guns, which is identification technology that etches a unique code in each bullet case as it's fired.