New York passes bill raising age to buy, own semiautomatic rifles

New York’s Legislature passed legislation Thursday banning anyone under age 21 from buying or possessing a semiautomatic rifle, a major change to state firearm laws pushed through less than three weeks after an 18-year-old used one of the guns to kill 10 people at a supermarket in Buffalo.

The Legislature spent Thursday evening debating the bill raising the age limit, which passed the Senate along party lines 43-20 and in the Assembly 102-47. The legislation, which also launches a licensing requirement, is the centrepiece of a package of gun control bills announced earlier this week by Democratic legislative leaders and Gov. Kathy Hochul. It’s now set to head to Hochul’s desk for her signature.

New York already requires people to be 21 to possess a handgun. Younger people would still be allowed to have other types of rifles and shotguns, but the change in the law would restrict ownership of the type of fast-firing rifles used by the 18-year-old gunmen in the mass shootings in Buffalo and at a Texas elementary school.

Besides raising the legal purchase age to 21, the bill would also require anyone buying a semiautomatic rifle to get a license — something now only required for handguns.

Republicans chastised Democrats for pushing a more sweeping measure than Hochul originally pitched.

Senator Gustavo Rivera, a Bronx Democrat, rebuffed Republicans who argued the bill will inconvenience gun owners and infringe Second Amendment rights: “It is meant to be a hassle to those folks who might want to get their hands quickly on something with which they could mass murder people.”

Semiautomatic rifles automatically load each bullet after firing, although firing requires pulling the trigger for each round. This makes it possible for mass murderers to kill more people in a short amount of time.

The change would largely impact areas outside New York City, which already requires permits to possess, carry and purchase any type of firearm and prohibits most applicants under 21.

Elsewhere in New York, people as young as 16 can possess long guns like rifles and shotguns without a license.

Senator Alexis Weik, a Republican of Long Island, pointed out that an 18-year-old could still travel to another state and buy a semiautomatic rifle.

Senator Kevin Thomas, a Long Island Democrat and one of the bill’s sponsors, replied, “Are you advocating for federal gun control? Because that what’s needed.”

The state is also expected to pass legislation that would restrict the purchase of body armour and expand the list of people who can apply for an extreme risk protection order, a court order that can temporarily prohibit someone from purchasing or possessing a firearm if they are believed to be a danger to themselves or others.