Lawmakers in New York have agreed to pass the nation’s toughest gun control law and the country’s first since the school shooting in Newtown. Connecticut. The law calls for a very tough ban on assault weapons and provisions to make sure guns are kept out of the possession of mentally ill people if they have made threats previously.

Andrew Cuomo, the Governor of New York made gun control the priority in his progressive agenda that he spoke of just six days ago when he addressed the entire legislature of New York. The effort was bipartisan to pass the gun control law and was fuelled by the massacre in Newtown that cost 20 children and 6 educators their lives. Cuomo asked at what point do we say no more loss of innocent lives.

The new measure calls for the sale ammunition and gun restrictions and Tuesday, the legislature in New York voted to pass the law. One lawmaker said it was not about taking the rights away of anyone, but rather it is about living in a society that is safe and today New York is setting a precedent for the rest of the U.S. to follow and do what is right and correct.

Under the state law currently, assault weapons were defined as having two specific features that are “military rifle” like. The new measure reduces that to only one of those features and includes the pistol grip.

The private sale of guns that include assault weapons to anyone who is not immediate family will require a background check via a dealer. In addition, sales on the Internet of the same assault weapons will be stopped. Magazines for ammunition are restricted to only seven bullets, while the current law allows 10.

Those with magazines with a higher capacity would have to sell them outside New York within the next 12 months. Someone caught in their resident with a magazine holding eight bullets or more could be faced with misdemeanour charges.