Seizing on the opportunity to ram new limits on Second Amendment rights into law — much the same as her predecessor did — New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed 10 new bills into law today. From Reuters . . .
The legislation, passed on Thursday by the state legislature, raises the age required to buy or possess a semiautomatic rifle from 18 to 21. New York already requires people to be 21 to possess a handgun.
She also signed bills banning “ghost guns” and mandating non-existent microstamping technology.
Calling on other states to emulate her gun rights restrictions, the Governor said . . .
“This is a moral moment for the people of New York but also the rest of the nation,” said Hochul. “Follow what we did here in New York and we’ll finally start to be at the beginning of the end of all this gun violence and the massacres that are occurring every day in our country.”
Funny, but we seem to remember similar claims from the guy she replaced after he signed the SAFE Act into law in the aftermath of Sandy Hook. As Fredo’s older brother said at the time . . .
“The new law will limit gun violence through common sense, reasonable reforms that include addressing the risks posed by mentally ill people who have access to guns and banning high capacity magazines and lethal assault weapons,” Governor Cuomo said. “This legislation is not about hunters, sportsmen, or legal owners who use their guns appropriately. It is about reducing gun violence and making New York a safer place to live. I thank leadership of both the Assembly and Senate for their action on this important legislation.”
Oh well.
The legislature and the governor are also really proud of the work they’ve done to make sure that even unarmed New Yorkers will have a tougher time protecting themselves against “gun violence.”
Another law signed by Hochul restricts the purchase of bullet resistant vests and body armor to law enforcement or related professions.
And Hochul’s not finished. She pledged that this is just the beginning.
For our neighbors in Buffalo and across the country, we cannot grow complacent, we cannot grow numb and we cannot tolerate inaction on common sense gun reform any longer.
The 10 bills I signed into law today are the start of our work to stop these tragedies — not the end. pic.twitter.com/awokEF8Ec3
— Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) June 6, 2022
That raises a question. Why stop here? If she’s not finished, as she claims, what’s holding her back? Clearly it’s not the New York legislature. There’s literally no restriction on gun rights New York Democrats, who control the legislature with an iron grip, won’t vote for.
Come on, Governor, show your hand. What is it you really have in mind? Why settle for half-measures? Won’t the lives of more New Yorkers be saved by going all-in now?
