In the past month, the United States has suffered multiple
tragedies related to gun violence—some of them televised, but most of them not.
The event that comes to mind for most people is the recent shooting in
Connecticut, which left 20 first graders and six adults dead. The nation has
since been immersed in a heated discussion about gun control laws, some calling
for stricter laws and others arguing that the current laws will do.
Governor of New York Andrew Cuomo made his third State of
the State address on Wednesday, January 9th. In it, he called for a
tightening of gun control laws that would be the country’s toughest yet.
“Guns have both a noble and tragic tradition in America and
in New York State,” Cuomo wrote in a message to the Legislature. He noted the
nation’s desire to retain ownership rights, but warned that when placed in the
wrong hands, “guns are also weapons of untold destruction and heartbreak.”
Cuomo’s proposal would ban all assault weapons with military
features and large capacity magazines holding more than seven bullets. These
types of militaristic weapons are “unneeded and unwanted for hunting and
sporting purposes,” Cuomo argued.
The governor also wants to close two loopholes in the law:
one that allows rifles and large capacity clips made before 1994 to be sold
legally (despite current bans) and another, which allows private firearms sales
to be exempt from background checks.
His laws would also address issues with mental health that
have become such a focus in the past few weeks. Licenses would need to be
renewed every few years and all licensing agencies would follow statewide
regulations and requirements. Mental health changes would also be monitored,
and police would be allowed to suspend weapons and licenses for those deemed by
mental health professionals to be a potential danger with a firearm.
Consequences for the illegal purchase of weapons or their
use on school property would be beefed up, as would penalties for those
participating in “serious” and violent gang activity relating to drugs.
With these new proposals, Cuomo is aiming for New York to
set the stage for other states to follow. Tightening laws in such a way would
certainly make the state a leader on the issue, as it would be the first to
pass such drastic measures following the Sandy Hook tragedy last month.
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