Hochul calls for national assault weapons ban in wake of Manhattan mass shooting

New York is widely seen as having some of the toughest gun laws in the country. But state statutes alone can only do so much when a gunman can drive across the country to carry out a mass shooting in Manhattan, Gov. Kathy Hochul, other elected officials and experts said Tuesday.

Hochul issued a call for a national ban on assault weapons in the wake of the midtown shooting a day earlier. The gunman, Shane Tamura, drove 2,000 miles from Nevada before opening fire with an AR-15 at a Park Avenue skyscraper, killing an off-duty New York City police officer and three others, officials said.

New York Mayor Eric Adams said Tamura left a note blaming the NFL for a brain injury and intended to reach its Park Avenue headquarters, but got off the elevator on the wrong floor before beginning to shoot.

"Our laws only go so far when an AR-15 can be obtained in a state with weak gun laws and brought into New York to commit mass murder," Hochul said. The Democrat said a "national awakening" is needed to spur action.

"We'll fly flags at half-staff and we'll give thoughts and prayers and condolences as is customary, but I want more than that," Hochul said on CNN. "New York State has the lowest homicide rate by guns in the nation for large states and that's because of laws that are working, and we want that same sense of urgency to go out across the nation."

Hochul is correct about the toughness of New York laws and the inability to stop someone from crossing state lines with an AR-15, one expert said. But there’s little sign of Congress or the White House doing anything on the issue.

"New York is certainly trying its hardest and doing its best. And, yes, anyone can buy an AR-15 in a state where it’s legal to buy one in and travel into New York with it," said Warren Eller, a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

But heightened partisanship, doubts about the effectiveness of a 1990s-era assault weapons ban and emerging 3D technology make national action unlikely anytime soon, he said.

"Congress will not pass another assault weapons ban," Eller said.

New York typically ranks among the top states when it comes to tough gun laws. Everytown for Gun Safety, an anti-gun violence action group, ranks the Empire State fourth in the United States; California ranks first.

It also says New York has 4.7 gun deaths per 100,000 population — well below the national average of 13.7.

Among other things, New York bans assault weapons and trigger devices or shoulder stock replacements that effectively convert some guns into rapid-fire weapons. It also bans high-capacity magazines.

But even those restrictions can’t fully block emerging technology. For instance, Eller noted: "You can buy a laser printer and print all the parts you need for an AR-15 at home."

"One of the biggest problems we’re having from getting tougher gun control is manufacturing is no longer the limiting agent to prevent people from buying a firearm," Eller said.

Meanwhile, political responses during such tragedies continued to fall on predictable lines.

Rep. Laura Gillen (D-Rockville Centre) said it’s "time to end the scourge of gun violence" and enact an assault weapons ban and tougher background checks. Rep. Nick LaLota’s (R-Amityville) office issued a statement that didn’t address the issue of gun laws. Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-Bayport) condemned the violence in a statement, but didn’t comment further on gun laws.

"It's very sad and very frustrating and makes me angry that everybody knows this is a problem," said Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-Glen Cove) in an interview. "We don’t have enough national protections against gun violence and there’s really no indication that both sides of the aisle can get together on this to make meaningful change."

By Yancey Roy

yancey.roy@newsday.com@yanceyroy