Albany, N.Y. - New York's Legislature has passed the nation's toughest gun control law and the first since the Newtown, Conn., school shooting. The bill calls for a tougher assault weapons ban and provisions to try to keep guns out of the hands of the mentally ill who make threats.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo pushed hard for the legislation and signed it into law shortly after 5 p.m. Tuesday.
The measure calls for restrictions on ammunition and the sale of guns. It subjects private sale of assault weapons to someone other than an immediate family member to a background check.
Also, a therapist or other caregiver who believes a mental health patient made a credible threat to use a gun illegally would have to report it to a mental health director who must notify the state. A patient's gun could be confiscated.
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