U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) said she expected to receive bipartisan support for a stronger federal gun trafficking law in the U.S.
“In light of all this terror and domestic terrorism rise, I think there might be maybe new people who might get involved in these pieces of legislation that weren't there before,” Gillibrand said, expressing sympathy for those impacted by the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. She called on elected officials to enact legislation to curb domestic terrorism, expecially after the shooting last week in Buffalo, New York.
The Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act, which she reintroduced last September, would establish stronger penalties for transporting guns to people who are not legally allowed to have a gun.
Gillibrand said nearly 75% of guns connected to a crime in New York are trafficked from out of state. She said she supports Governor Kathy Hochul’s proposal to raise the age requirement to purchase a gun in New York to 21.
The Democrat said she also wanted big tech companies to be held accountable for allowing the spread of extremism that has been linked to recent shootings.
This comes as Texas Governor Greg Abbott says the 18-year-old gunman who killed 19 children and two teachers at an elementary school in Uvalde posted his plans on Facebook before the attack.
Gillibrand has proposed legislation that creates a Data Protection Agency to protect users’ privacy and force tech companies to filter what they show on people’s feeds.
“We can not stand by and allow algorithms to automate division and discord in our country while the wealthy CEOs profit from the American division and hate,” Gillibrand said.
