New York’s legislature passed a bill on Thursday to raise the age limit to buy or possess a semi-automatic rifle from 18 to 21.
The bill, which passed the state senate along party lines in a 43-20 vote and in the state assembly in a 102-47 vote, would also require anyone buying a semi-automatic rifle to obtain a license.
Current New York law only requires licensure for handguns. Federal law already requires people to be 21 to possess a handgun.
The bill now heads to Governor Kathy Hochul’s desk for final approval.
The measure is part of a slate of gun control bills the Democrat-controlled state legislature is considering weeks after an 18-year-old opened fire at a supermarket in Buffalo, killing ten people.
The Buffalo shooting suspect passed a background check before legally buying a Bushmaster XM-15 semi-automatic rifle from a gun store in Endicott, N.Y., which he then illegally modified to hold a larger magazine, according to the New York Times.
The new measure would still allow younger individual to own other types of rifles and shotguns. While New York City already requires permits to possess, carry and purchase any type of firearm and prohibits most applicants under 21, in other areas of New York individuals as young as 16 can own long guns, including rifles and shotguns, without a license, the AP reported.
Democratic State Senator Gustavo Rivera dismissed concerns that the measure would infringe on Second Amendment rights saying, “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,” according to the AP.
Similar measures passed in California and Florida have faced legal challenges.
Other measures included in New York’s gun reform package include a bill to require guns to be equipped with microstamping technology, as well as legislation that would restrict the purchase of body armor and expand the list of people who can apply for an extreme risk protection order to prevent someone from purchasing or possessing a firearm if they are believed to be a danger to themselves or others.