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New York Raises Minimum Age for Purchasing Semiautomatic Rifles to 21
New York Governor Kathy Hochul has approved a law raising the age for purchasing semiautomatic rifles from 18 to 21 on Monday. The governor has decided to tighten gun laws after the race-motivated massacre at a Buffalo supermarket.
Hochul approved of a set of gun reform laws that the state senate had passed following the Buffalo supermarket shooting, which killed 10 Black people.
These new measures come as a spate of mass shootings in the U.S. had renewed calls for stricter gun control legislation.
Eighteen-year-old Payton Gentron has been accused of gunning down shoppers using an AR-15 assault rifle that he legally purchased at Tops Friendly Market.
Apart from being at least 21 years of age, those looking to buy semiautomatic rifles will also now need to get a permit, so they also need to undergo a background check.
New York, known to be a Democratic State, has some of the strictest gun laws in the country.
The new legislation will also ban the majority of civilians from buying body armor, including bullet-proof vests.
A white supremacist, Gendron wore heavy body armor when went through his alleged attack back on May 14.
Hochul also agreed to broaden New York’s “red flag” legislation, allowing courts to confiscate guns from people who are deemed a risk to themselves and to other people.
Ten days following the Buffalo shooting, the Uvalde, Texas school shooting took place, in which a teenage gunman shot dead 21 people – 19 of which are children while the other 2 are teachers.
U.S. Pres. Joe Biden has been calling for new gun-control measures, including the ban on assault weapons.
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