Three Democratic-led states — California, New York and New Jersey — moved forward with gun reform legislation following the deadly shooting in Uvalde, Texas, that left 19 children and two adults dead.
The state action comes as Democrats in Congress seek votes on measures including a federal red-flag law and expanded background checks, yet questions remain about potential Republican cooperation.
In California, Governor Gavin Newsom (D) Announced on Wednesday, just one day after the shooting in Texas, that the state would “expedite common-sense gun safety laws that will protect people from gun violence.”
Newsom has promised to sign a package of bills, including restrictions on the sale of firearms to minors and so-called ghost guns, or unlicensed kits to make untraceable firearms.
The package of bills would also create a “private right of action to limit the spread of illegal assault weapons and ghost weapons,” as well as allow victims of gun violence and governments to sue gun manufacturers and sellers. fire.
“As the United States Senate stands idly by and activist federal judges strike down common sense gun laws across our nation, California will act with the urgency this crisis demands,” Newsom said in a statement.
California also recently had its own deadly shooting, when a man allegedly killed one and wounded several more at a Southern California church.
Meanwhile, New York Governor Kathy Hochul (D) has pushed state lawmakers to raise the minimum age to purchase an AR-15-style rifle to 21, up from the current limit of 18.
“I don’t want 18-year-olds to have guns,” Hochul said at a meeting of the Interstate Task Force on Illegal Guns, which includes law enforcement representatives from nine states.
“I want to work with the legislature to do something that is much more common sense than what we have right now. At a minimum, AR-15s, but I’m going to take a look at everything,” she added.
The move comes less than two weeks after a mass shooting in Buffalo, New York, that left 10 dead at a grocery store.
In New Jersey, Governor Phil Murphy (D) has pushed for similar changes in his state.
In comments Wednesday, Murphy urged action on gun reform in the state, including a package he proposed.
“I introduced the comprehensive Gun Safety 3.0 package over a year ago and this moment demands that the Legislature finally take action,” he said. saidadding that the “proposed laws are not very revolutionary.”
“They would require the safe storage of weapons. They would make sure that those who are looking to buy a gun are actually trained in the safe handling of that gun,” Murphy said. “They would give police tools to better track the routes of firearms used to commit crimes. They would ban the sale of weapons that can shoot down helicopters.”
The reform policy package would also raise the minimum age to buy long guns to 21, ban .50-caliber firearms and close the loophole for importing firearms from other states, the governor’s office said. said.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott (right) has sought to focus attention on mental health in the aftermath of the Uvalde shooting, and his Democratic opponent in the upcoming election, Beto O’Rourke, confronted him at a news conference on Wednesday.
“You’re not doing anything,” O’Rourke said, standing a few feet away from Abbott. “You said this was not predictable, this was totally predictable, and you choose to do nothing.”
California, New Jersey and New York rank among the top eight US states for the strength of their gun laws compared to their rates of gun violence, according to research from Everytown for Gun Safety.
Reference-thehill.com