New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has proposed an expansion to his Extreme Risk Protection Order bill to give teachers the power to go to court to prevent a student’s access to guns, if they suspect the student might bring a gun to school and potentially engage in a school shooting.
The Democrat says the measure would give teachers, and school administrators, the power, if they believe a student might use guns to be a danger to themselves or others, to go to court.
“If a teacher believes there is a troubled student who might be dangerous, that teacher has the legal authority to go to a judge directly,” said Cuomo.
A judge could then determine whether the student needs a mental health exam, and whether the student’s or their family’s guns should be taken away.
New York's legislative session is scheduled to end in a couple weeks, and Cuomo concedes that he does not expect the measure to pass in the State Senate, which is gridlocked with 31 seats each in the Democratic and Republican factions.
But Cuomo says he believes people in the state overwhelmingly support the measure and predicts it will become an election issue in the fall.
