Dear Commons Community,

New York State is on the verge of enacting some of the nation’s toughest gun-control laws, one of the first states to act in the wake of the elementary school shootings at Newtown, Connecticut.

Yesterday, the state NY Senate voted 43-18 in favor of a broad bill that expands the types of weapons outlawed in the state and restricts the capacity of magazines from 10 rounds down to seven.  The bill also mandates that mental-health professionals report troubled patients they deem to be likely to cause harm to others. The state will then seize that person’s guns, if they own any or have a license.

The NY Assembly, dominated by downstate Democrats strongly in favor of the bill, is voting as this post is being made—which already has the backing of Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Cuomo has previously said the ideal solution is federal action, since people in theory can purchase guns in other states, with different restrictions, and bring them into New York.

Congratulations to New York!

Tony