Staff Report / July 31, 2026
NEW YORK – Speaking before advocates, students, and community leaders, Governor Kathy Hochul announced a sweeping set of state-level actions to counter proposed federal deregulations on firearms. Slamming Washington for what she described as an abdication of its solemn duty to protect citizens, Hochul highlighted that federal rollbacks altering over 30 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) rules threaten to reverse New York’s historic drop in gun violence. With state gun crime currently at an all-time low, the governor pledged that New York will enforce its own strict standards to shield communities from loosened federal oversight.
To counter the federal changes, Governor Hochul outlined three main enforcement and legislative priorities aimed at curbing firearm sales to bad actors. First, the New York State Police will ramp up mandatory on-site inspections for gun dealers linked to crime-scene weapons, warning rogue retailers that they will face shutdown by the Attorney General if they bypass required background checks and mental health screenings. Second, New York will reconvene and expand its Interstate Task Force on Illegal Guns, now partnering with over 11 states, to disrupt inter-state trafficking pipelines along major transit corridors.
Hochul also took direct aim at potential federal proposals allowing online firearm purchases, characterizing the effort as a corrupt, profit-driven measure. In response, the administration will push new state legislation during the upcoming session requiring every gun transaction in New York to take place strictly in person. The governor emphasized that allowing digital firearm orders creates severe public safety vulnerabilities and vowed to fight “tooth and nail” to pass and sign the mandatory in-person purchasing requirement into law.
Concluding her address, Governor Hochul reassured New Yorkers that the state will continue to stand firm against federal pressure, drawing parallels to previous successful legal and policy battles against Washington. While criticizing federal leadership for weakening the ATF’s mandate, she emphasized that New York will leverage its strong state laws, police enforcement, and community-based violence intervention programs to keep illegal weapons off the streets.
Read more here: https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/video-audio-photos-rush-transcript-governor-hochul-announces-new-gun-safety-actions-protect
