With the nation reeling from the school shooting in Texas Tuesday, New York Governor Kathy Hochul was in East Greenbush Wednesday morning for a meeting of the Interstate Task Force on Illegal Guns.
Hochul addressed reporters after the meeting at the New York State Intelligence Center.
"We convened an emergency meeting this morning of the State Police," said Hochul. "And I said are we doing everything possible? And I said I want state police patrols visiting our schools doing daily check ins every single day from today to the end of the school year. Because I want parents who have enough to worry about in their daily lives, the cost of gas at the pump, the cost of the groceries, maybe putting aside a little money for college tuition. They have enough to worry about. Let them know that the State Police and their local law enforcement are going to be there to protect them both uniformed and plainclothes officers. "
In the wake of mass shootings in Texas and a Tops supermarket in Buffalo, the governor called for raising the age to legally purchase firearms in New York.
"How does an 18-year-old purchase an AR-15 in the state of New York, state of Texas? That person is not old enough to buy a legal drink," Hochul said. "I want to work with the legislature to change that. I want it to be 21. I think that's just common sense. Because as we've just seen for them to horrific crimes, that we can't get out of our minds what happened in Buffalo what happened in a school children in Texas, the common denominator, there are three, the weapon was an AR-15. The perpetrator was a male. And the age of the perpetrator was 18. I don't want 18-year-olds to have guns. At least not in the state of New York."
Hochul also condemned shootings and all random acts of violence, calling on state lawmakers to take action, to consider microstamping and close any existing gun loopholes in the law.