Gov. Kathy Hochul's attempts to curb rise in domestic terrorism become political football in gubernatorial race
NEW YORK -- Gov. Kathy Hochul is taking action to combat the rise in domestic terrorism and to strengthen gun laws in the wake of the Buffalo massacre.
But as CBS2's Marcia Kramer reported Wednesday, her actions have become a political football in the race for governor.
Displayed was a sawed-off shotgun that is perfectly legal to buy in New York, but if the governor has her way it will be illegal to sell or buy in the state. It's just one of the loopholes in the gun law that Hochul proposed as part of actions to stem the rise of domestic terrorism in the wake of Saturday's supermarket shooting upstate.
"The message to New Yorkers is we're going to continue to protect you as New Yorkers and have smart gun safety laws on the books, but we're also going to continue calling on the federal government to respond in a way that they have not in the past," Hochul said.
Watch Kevin Rincon's report
The Bushmaster XM 15 purchased by the Buffalo shooting suspect is not considered an assault weapon in the state. It's an A.O.W., which stands for "any other weapon." Those firearms aren't as well-regulated. Changing that requires legislative action.
Another change Hochul is proposing would make ammunition traceable.
"This is the type of bullet that was used to kill 10 people in Buffalo on Saturday afternoon," Hochul said, holding the bullets. "What we don't have is a way to give each of these bullets a unique fingerprint each time the firearm is discharged. It's called microstamping when you do that."
READ MORE: Buffalo mass shooting: Help accessing food, mental health services and more
In the immediate, the governor signed two executive orders. One is meant to toughen red flag laws.
"They need to be strengthened now. We found a way they need to be made better," Hochul said.
The other creates the first ever office of counterterrorism meant to fight the rise of white nationalism.
"You can't act on evil thoughts that have possessed your mind and the hatred that fills your heart if you don't have access to a weapon," Hochul said.
Hochul also asked Attorney General Letitia James to investigate the online platforms that the suspect in the Buffalo massacre allegedly used to broadcast the mass shooting. She said the probes should include, but not be limited to, Twitch, 4Chan, 8Chan and Discord.
"The most serious threat as a nation we face is from within. It's not from the Russians. It's not from people elsewhere. It's white supremacism. It's white nationalism," Hochul said.
But Congressman Tom Suozzi, who is running against her for governor, called her a hypocrite, charging that when she was in Congress she was a big supporter of the National Rifle Association. He said she and other members of Congress, "bragged about their endorsement to win votes."
Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, who is Hochul's other Democratic gubernatorial opponent, also offered implied criticism of the governor at a rally to end gun violence.
"If you want to lead us, coordinate us, send resources to communities that have never gotten them -- never -- and we're paying the prices right now," Williams said.
The governor refused to respond to Suozzi's attack, saying he was just trying to score political points while she was acting as a governor to end the violence.