Three Democrat-led states – California, New York and New Jersey – have continued with gun reform legislation following the deadly shooting in Uwalde, Texas that killed 19 children and two adults.
The state’s actions come as Democrats in Congress review vote on measures, including a federal red flag law and expanded scrutiny of the past, but doubts remain about possible Republican cooperation.
In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) announced on Wednesday, just a day after the Texas shooting, that the state would “speed up gun safety laws that will protect people from gun violence.”
Newsom has pledged to sign a package of bills, including restrictions on the sale of firearms to minors and so-called ghost weapons or unlicensed sets of untraceable firearms.
The bill will also create a “private right of action to limit the proliferation of illegal weapons of attack and ghost weapons”, in addition to enabling victims of gun violence and governments to prosecute firearms manufacturers and sellers.
“As the U.S. Senate stands idly by and federal activist judges repeal health gun laws across our nation, California will act with the urgency required by this crisis,” Newsham said in a statement.
California also recently had its own deadly shooting when a man allegedly killed one and wounded several others at a church in Southern California.
Meanwhile, New York Governor Katie Hochul (D) has urged state lawmakers to raise the minimum age for buying an AR-15 rifle to 21 from the current 18-year mark.
“I don’t want 18-year-olds to have guns,” Hochul said at a meeting of the Interstate Working Group on Illegal Weapons, which includes law enforcement officials from nine states.
“I want to work with the legislature to do something that is much more common sense than we have at the moment. At least AR-15, but I will look at everything, “she added.
The move comes less than two weeks after a mass shooting in Buffalo, New York, that killed 10 people at a grocery store.
In New Jersey, Gov. Phil Murphy (D) has called for similar changes in his state.
In a speech Wednesday, Murphy called for action on gun reform in the state, including a package he proposed.
“More than a year ago, we introduced the comprehensive Weapon Security Package 3.0, and this moment requires the legislature to finally take action,” he said, adding that “the proposed laws are hardly revolutionary.”
“They will require safe storage of weapons. “They will ensure that those who want to buy a gun are actually trained to use that gun safely,” Murphy said. “They will give the police tools to better track the paths of firearms used to commit crimes. They will ban the sale of weapons that can shoot down helicopters. “
The reform package will also raise the minimum age for the purchase of long arms to 21, ban 0.50-caliber firearms and close the door to import firearms outside the state, the governor’s office said.
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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (right) tried to focus on mental health in the aftermath of the Uwalde shooting, as his opponent in the upcoming election, Beto O’Rourke, spoke out against him at a news conference Wednesday.
“You’re not doing anything,” O’Rourke said, steps away from Abbott. “You said it was unpredictable, it was completely predictable, and you choose not to do anything.”
California, New Jersey and New York rank in the top eight U.S. states under gun law compared to gun violence rates, according to a study by Everytown for Gun Safety.
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