Business

Lawmakers in Albany consider how to make gun laws even stricter


New York lawmakers are considering options to strengthen the state’s already existing gun laws, with Governor Kathy Hochul expected to announce a package on Wednesday aimed at redressing weaknesses. left over from the Buffalo massacre.

At an appearance with President Biden in Buffalo on Tuesday, Ms. Hochul suggested that leaders should not be blamed solely on “obnoxious philosophies” that she said have moved from the dark corners of the site to the chapters. cable TV news program.

“You can have hate in your heart, and you can sit in your house and harbor these evil thoughts, but you can’t act – unless you have a weapon,” she said, adding: That is the intersection of the two crises in our nation right now. “

New York already has some of the strictest gun control laws in the US, including background check requirements, restrictions on assault rifles, and red flag laws. New York has one of the lowest rates of gun deaths and injuries in the country, according to the nonprofit New Yorkers Against Gun Violence.

In fact, one of New York’s most gun-restrictive laws – which explicitly restricts the carrying of weapons outside the home – is be challenged in the Supreme Court, a decision is expected soon.

Even so, lawmakers say the improvements being considered in Albany could have a major impact.

“You just want to close any potential loopholes,” said Westchester Representative Amy Paulin.

Ms. Paulin is a sponsor of several bills that she believes will help make New York safer. One party shall require local law enforcement agencies to promptly contribute information on recovered weapons to the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives database, which will allow find better traces. Another organization would allow New York to do its own background checks, rather than handing the process over to the FBI.

Other measures would place new requirements on gun dealers, including better record keeping and increased staff training.

But advocates have questioned whether New York’s existing laws could be made better.

For example, under New York’s so-called red flag laws, relatives, school officials, and law enforcement can ask a court to remove a firearm from the home of someone who poses a high risk of harm to themselves. yourself or someone else and prevent them from buying a new gun – a ban can last up to a year. But the law was not invoked against the suspect in the Buffalo attack, even after his death and suicide threats alarmed a school official enough to alert police.

“There was an incident here, but it wasn’t a violation of the law – it was an incident,” said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety, a nonprofit that advocates for gun violence. break in the implementation. He and others are pushing for stronger training for law enforcement and school administrators to know when to use high-risk laws.

David Pucino, deputy chief counsel at the Giffords Law Center for Gun Violence Prevention, agrees.

“This really strong policy has not been used and should have been,” he said. Pucino supports legislation that restricts gun sales to people under the age of 21, similar to the law Florida enacted after a 2018 mass school shooting in Parkland. However, he stressed the challenge of addressing an issue like gun violence at the local level.

“No one law can be the solution to all problems,” Mr. Pucino said. “Especially state law.”



Source link

news7g

News7g: Update the world's latest breaking news online of the day, breaking news, politics, society today, international mainstream news .Updated news 24/7: Entertainment, Sports...at the World everyday world. Hot news, images, video clips that are updated quickly and reliably

Related Articles

Back to top button