ALERT CENTER: Gov. Hochul wants to work with state Legislature to change purchase age of some guns

Gov. Hochul said in both mass shootings, the gunmen were 18 and used semi-automatic weapons.

News 12 Staff

May 25, 2022, 4:37 PM

Updated 870 days ago

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New York Gov. Kathy Hochul delivered an emotional address Wednesday about plans to work with the state Legislature to prevent future tragedies like the ones in Buffalo and Texas.
Hochul said in both mass shootings, the gunmen were 18 and used semi-automatic weapons. That's why she wants to work with lawmakers to raise the age to purchase certain guns from 18 to 21.
"You get to the point where you feel like there are no words left, she Hochul added. "But those people deserve our words."
The governor also unveiled other parts of her agenda when it comes to gun safety. Hochul said she wants a law that would require all law enforcement agencies to report recovery guns to a shared database within 24 hours to allow investigators throughout the state to see if a gun or bullets had been used in previous crimes.
Hochul, who is a mother herself, said she won't rest until she feels she's done everything possible to protect children.
"And this morning as we're all reeling from the pain, I ask myself as governor am I supposed to leave all the flags at half-mast?," said Hochul. "They're still at half-mast from Buffalo."
Hochul has also directed her team to look into gun shows and how guns are coming into New York and called on every governor, every state official, every federal official to follow New York's lead and pass laws that ensure weapons don't get into the wrong hands.
"It doesn't happen in other countries," Hochul said. "It happens in a nation that seems to revere the rights of gun owners ability to posses guns over the right children to stay alive."