NY lawmakers expected to vote on laws to prevent mass shootings

Gov. Kathy Hochul and state legislators struck a deal on a package of laws in response to recent mass shootings, including one in Buffalo that killed 10 people in a supermarket.

News 12 Staff

Jun 2, 2022, 2:30 AM

Updated 915 days ago

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The New York legislative session comes to an end Thursday, and lawmakers are expected to vote on a batch of laws to prevent mass shootings.
Some of the laws focus on guns, but they also target social media by requiring that the companies have clear policies on how they respond to hateful posts. It also bans the sale of bulletproof vests.
These laws are getting mixed reaction.
Katerina Sevcikova, mother of two young children, says the recent mass shootings are a growing concern for her.
“I don’t want them to grow up in a world where they have to fear for their life," she says.
Gov. Kathy Hochul and state legislators struck a deal on a package of laws in response to recent mass shootings, including one in Buffalo that killed 10 people in a supermarket.
“I’d like to see more strict laws about obtaining a gun at any age really… stricter background checks… but really some mental health counseling," says Sevcikova.
Some of the laws introduced would require that information on the guns used in crimes be shared between local, state and federal agencies. Threatening mass harm would be a crime, and new guns would need to be micro-stamped.
“One of the laws will say that there’s a responsibility for police, for the district attorney, and there will also be an opportunity for health care providers to be able to apply for these extreme risk protection orders," says state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins.
Gun shop owner Ben Rosenshine says he isn’t a fan of these laws - for the most part.
“The social media aspect I don’t disagree with, but the other stuff are feel-good measures that don’t accomplish anything," says Rosenshine, owner of Blueline Tactical and Police Supply.
Rosenshine says the background checks are rigorous and he’s seen some come back denied. He says there are times when he would refuse to sell a gun.
“There have been people in here and we looked at them and said, ‘Today’s not the day you’re going to buy a gun,'” he says.
Westchester County Executive George Latimer is also expected to sign a measure into law as well. That law would gun shops to post a sign warning that guns inside homes increase the danger of suicide, homicide and accidents.