Hochul Calls for National Assault Weapons Ban, 'Red Flag' Laws After Georgia School Shooting

Manlius, NY – New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Thursday called for a national ban on assault rifles and “red flag” laws following a deadly school shooting in Georgia that left four people dead.

“We’ve had enough,” Hochul said during a visit to Minoa Central High School in East Syracuse. “This nation has had enough.”

Police said a 14-year-old student opened fire with an “AR platform-style weapon” at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, on Wednesday, killing two teachers and two students and wounding nine others.

These military-style weapons are banned in New York state. They were also banned nationwide under a federal law enacted in 1994, but that ban expired in 2004 under a sunset provision. Since then, AR-15-style rifles have been used in some of the country’s deadliest mass shootings, including the 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, that killed 20 children and six staff members.

“You watch the news and you’re shocked to see another school shooting in the United States,” Hochul said.

“It hurts on so many levels. As a parent who sent my kids to school for many years, I know the inherent anxiety whenever your kids are out of sight. And then to see these stories where a 14-year-old has access to a military-grade assault weapon.”

She called on Republicans in Congress to oppose a new ban on assault weapons.

“I know the Biden-Harris administration wants to do more,” she said. “I know the Senate under Majority Leader Chuck Schumer wants to do more, and I call on the Republican-led House of Representatives to stop throwing up roadblocks to saving children’s lives.”

Hochul also called for a national “red flag” law, like New York’s. The state law, also known as the Extreme Risk Protection Order law, prohibits people who show signs of being a threat to themselves or others from purchasing or possessing any type of firearm.

“This should be a national policy,” she said.

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