New York Passes First Major Gun Control Bills Since Sandy Hook

That provision in particular drew an emotional response from Linda Beigel Schulman, whose son, Scott, grew up on Long Island and was teaching at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. during the massacre there last year; he was killed while helping students flee the shooter[1].“Parkland would’ve never happened if they had a red flag law,” Ms. Schulman said while sitting alongside Mr. Cuomo, adding that one of the killer’s former teachers told her that the shooter had showed disturbing tendencies.Senator Brian Kavanagh, a Democrat from New York City who sponsored the bill, said the number of New York state residents who die each year — 772 in 2017[2], according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — because of guns “is unacceptable.” He added: “It’s also preventable.”California, Washington, Indiana and Connecticut have similar provisions to keep guns away from high-risk people.Republicans suggested the bill would allow people to randomly curtail Second Amendment rights for many New Yorkers.“Today’s actions infringe upon the rights of law-abiding citizens,” said Senator Pamela Helming, from Central New York.The bill ultimately passed the Senate 42-21, and the Assembly 83-32.A few proposals did earn Republican votes: those that would establish a gun buyback program, and that would prohibit the sale of bump stocks, which enable semiautomatic rifles to fire in sustained, rapid bursts. A bill allowing New York regulators to access mental health records for out-of-state gun buyers passed nearly unanimously.References^ while helping students flee the shooter (www.miamiherald.com)^ 772 in 2017 (www.cdc.gov)

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