Following the racist shooting at a Buffalo supermarket, New York's governor raised the age for purchasing a semiautomatic rifle from 18 to 21.
Kathy Hochul signed a package of gun-control legislation enacted by the state senate in the aftermath of last month's tragedy that murdered 10 Black people.
"We cannot keep living like this," Hochul said at a Bill-signing ceremony in New York City. "This is a moral moment for the people of New York but also the rest of the nation."
The measures come amid a spate of mass killings in the United States that have sparked renewed calls for greater gun control laws.
Payton Gendron, 18, is accused of shooting patrons at Tops Friendly Market with a legally purchased AR-15 assault rifle.
Buyers of semiautomatic weapons will now be required to obtain a permit, which will entail undertaking a background check, in addition to being at least 21 years old.
New York already has some of the toughest firearms prohibitions in the country.
Hochul also signed a measure limiting the purchase of bullet-resistant vests and body armor for law enforcement and similar professions. The bill also requires New York-based social media companies to adopt open policies on how they respond to hate speech on their platforms.
During his alleged attack on May 14, Gendron, a white supremacist, was wearing heavy body armor.
Hochul also agreed to broaden the state's "red flag" laws, which allow courts to take guns away from persons who are judged a danger to themselves or others.
Ten days after the shooting in Buffalo, a teen gunman killed 19 children and two instructors at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.
U.S. President Joe Biden has called for additional gun-control legislation, including the prohibition of assault rifles. At the very least, Biden has suggested that lawmakers raise the age at which assault guns can be acquired from 18 to 21.
However, most Republicans and several rural-state Democrats oppose gun control in the United States.
According to media reports, New York has joined a group of states that require customers to be at least 21 to purchase certain types of long firearms, including Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Vermont, and Washington. In Utah, similar legislation has been introduced.
According to the Gun Violence Archive, U.S. gun violence has killed over 18,000 people in 2022, including approximately 10,300 suicides.
