tag:reuters.com,2025:newsml_RC24VEAAOBGN:1708305946
(New York, NY) – A series of high-profile shootings have drawn attention, once again, to gun control. NRA supporters are against it, saying the right to bear arms is in the U.S. Constitution. Pro gun control advocates say it’s unrealistic in today’s modern world.
Australian leaders say they will beef up that nation’s gun laws after a mass shooting at a Hanukkah celebration that left at least 15 people dead and dozens injured. The country already has strict gun laws, but Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is proposing limiting the number of guns a person can own and a regular review of gun licenses. Other proposals include requiring Australian citizenship to get a firearms licenses and restricting the types of guns that are legal to own.
Police in Rhode Island are releasing images of a second person of interest in the manhunt for the Brown University shooter. This person was “in proximity” to the main person of interest that’s eluded authorities for five days now. Providence Chief of Police Oscar Perez asked residents living close to the university to check their home security cameras for any suspicious images captured around the time of the shooting. Two students were killed and nine others were wounded when a gunman opened fire inside a classroom at the Ivy League school on December 13th . Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said today he understands people in the community are feeling restless because there’s been no arrest at this time.
Meanwhile, the pretrial evidence hearing in the case of accused killer Luigi Mangione continues in New York City. The 28-year old is accused of fatally shooting United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson on a Manhattan sidewalk last year. His attorneys are trying to get evidence suppressed that they claim was obtained illegally.
In Washington, DC on November 26th, two members of the West Virginia National Guard who were participating in the deployment of federal law enforcement and National Guard forces were shot near the Farragut West metro station in Washington, D.C., United States, two blocks away from the White House. The shooting killed 20-year old Specialist Sarah Beckstrom and wounded 24-year old Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe.
In 2014, the Republican-controlled House stopped a proposal that would have required serial numbers on homemade guns, such as those made with 3D printers; the bill never even got out of committee. On June 14, 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court, in the case of Garland v. Cargill, struck down the 2018 federal rule that classified bump-stock-equipped firearms as “machine guns” under the National Firearms Act (NFA). Sixteen states, including New York, and the District of Columbia continue to ban bump-stocks
What ARE New York State’s gun laws?
A license to carry or possess a pistol or revolver is required to buy a handgun. There is no state license requirement for the possession of a rifle or shotgun, so long as the rifle has barrel(s) is at least 16 inches in length and the shotgun has a barrel(s) of at least 18 inches in length. An alien may obtain a pistol license if he or she meets these requirements. It is unlawful for any person to carry, possess or transport a handgun in or through the state unless he has a valid New York license.
It is illegal to possess any “assault weapon” or “large capacity ammunition feeding device” except as permitted by the law. Residents of New York who lawfully owned an “assault weapon,” prior to January 15, 2013 were required to either sell it or register it with the State Police before April 15, 2014.
Not one major gun-control bill has passed Congress since the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre (states, however, have been more successful in passing laws to both tighten or loosen regulations).
U.S. Representative Carolyn McCarthy
Former New York Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy was a prominent gun control advocate, driven by her husband’s murder in the 1993 Long Island Railroad massacre. She championed legislation like the National Instant Check System Improvement Amendments Act of 2007 to strengthen background checks, particularly for mental health records, and advocating for bans on high-capacity magazines and childproof triggers, leaving a legacy of fierce advocacy for common-sense gun safety measures.
