The New York state legislature on Thursday passed a package of gun legislation that will raise the minimum age to buy a semiautomatic rifle to from 18 to 21, ban a majority of civilians from buying bullet-resistant body vests, and revise the state's red flag laws, The New York Times and Associated Press report.
The bills, pushed through by the legislature's Democratic majority, are now heading to Gov. Kathy Hochul's (D) desk, where she is "widely expected" to sign them into law, the Times notes. The new package makes New York the first state to approve legislation following shootings in Buffalo and Texas that left 10 and 21 dead, respectively.
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