Advocates and opponents react to latest gun reg­u­la­tions handed down from New York state leaders – Spectrum News

Advocates and opponents react to latest gun reg­u­la­tions handed down from New York state leaders  Spectrum News

Two pieces of legislation recently signed by Gov. Hochul have added fuel to the never-ending gun legislation debate. BUFFALO, N.Y. — With Election Day on the horizon, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is once again taking a stance on a contentious issue: gun violence. Hochul signed two pieces of gun safety legislation on Wednesday. The first, named Francesco’s Law, will require all gun owners to store their firearms in a safe, locked container or with trigger locks when not in use. It expands on previous legislation by making the storage mandatory for all gun owners. Previous legislation was limited to those with children in the home. The second law tightens restrictions on ammunition purchases.

It prevents New York State Police from running ammunition background checks on people who are not legally allowed to purchase firearms. Janet Goldstein worked with Diana Cochran to push the state legislature to pass Francesco’s Law. Cochran’s 17-year-old son Francesco committed suicide in 2021 after accessing an unsecured firearm. “It was important to me to, number one, have Diana’s voice heard, to have her partner’s voice heard, but even more so to have Francesco’s voice be heard,” said Goldstein. “Oftentimes people are in an emotional crisis, and they're not thinking as straight as they might be thinking in other situations and giving them that extra seven