New York Democrats passed Gov. Kathy Hochul’s (D) gun control wish list Thursday, including a ban on body armor purchases, a higher age minimum for “semiautomatic rifle purchases,” and an expansion of the state’s red flag law.
The New York Times reported that Democrats “plunged into the national debate” with their gun control votes.
On June 1, Breitbart News noted that Gov. Hochul was reaching beyond firearms that Democrats call “assault weapons,” targeting “semiautomatic rifles” in general.
On May 31 Hochul tweeted, “New York already has some of the toughest gun laws in the country — but there’s more work to do to keep New Yorkers safe. We are going to strengthen gun laws, give law enforcement tools to prevent crime, & stop the spread of dangerous weapons.”
Hochul posted a summary of the new gun control bills to her website:
The bills would: require information sharing between state, local and federal agencies when guns are used in crimes; make threatening mass harm a crime; require microstamping for new guns; increase accountability for social media platforms; eliminate grandfathering of large capacity ammunition feeding devices; prohibit the purchase of body armor for anyone who is not engaged in an eligible profession; strengthen the Red Flag law by expanding the list of people who can file for Extreme Risk Protection Orders, and other measures; require that an individual obtain a license, with a minimum age of 21, to purchase a semiautomatic rifle; and close the “any other weapon” loophole.
New York Democrat legislators rallied behind gun control.
During debate, state Sen. Gustavo Rivera (D) praised the idea of requiring a permit for semiautomatic rifle purchases, saying, “I want it to be a hassle.”
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio and a Turning Point USA Ambassador. Follow him on Instagram: @awr_hawkins. Reach him at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.