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New York Times
5 hours ago
- New York Times
New York Has Strict Gun Laws. A Mass Shooting Showed Their Limits.
The gunman double-parked outside the tower at 345 Park Avenue, strode into the lobby with a cheap AR-15-style rifle, and killed three people, including an off-duty police officer. He took an elevator to the 33rd floor and fatally shot a final victim before turning the gun on himself. The episode was over in minutes. Despite New York's stringent gun laws and the office building's tight security, law enforcement officials and legal experts said, the shooting — the deadliest in New York City in 25 years — may have been all but unstoppable. New York has one of the world's most sophisticated surveillance networks and the resources to deploy a massive police response, said Brittney Blair, an associate managing director of K2 Integrity, a risk-management and investigative firm. But a piecemeal network of looser regulations nationwide enabled a lone gunman with no criminal history to drive undetected across several states on his way to the city. 'It feels impossible to stop something like this,' Ms. Blair said. The attack underscores the limits that even a dense web of gun safety laws and private security precautions can have in a country flooded with inexpensive weapons. Beginning last week, the gunman, Shane Devon Tamura, 27, who lived in Nevada, drove through several states, including Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa and New Jersey, before arriving in Midtown Manhattan, his BMW filled with ammunition. Mr. Tamura could have secured a semiautomatic rifle in a single day in Nevada, where he could bypass additional background checks, because he had a permit to carry a concealed weapon, said Nick Suplina, a senior vice president at Everytown for Gun Safety, a national gun violence prevention group. A federal ban on assault rifles ended in 2004; Mr. Tamura could have purchased the weapon for less than $500. The police in New York began receiving 911 calls at 6:28 pm on Monday with reports of an active shooter. By then, Mr. Tamura had already left the vehicle between 51st and 52nd Streets and walked into the building, a police spokesman said. He turned right and shot the police officer, Didarul Islam, 36, who died in the lobby. Mr. Tamura kept firing. He shot and killed Wesley LePatner, 43, who had ducked behind a pillar, and then, as he made his way to an elevator bank, killed Aland Etienne, 46, an unarmed security guard who was taking cover behind a front desk. After wounding another victim, Mr. Tamura summoned the elevator. For unknown reasons, he spared the life of a woman who stepped out of the elevator into the lobby. He rode to the 33rd floor — the office of Rudin Management, a real estate firm that owns the Park Avenue building. He began to walk around the floor firing rounds, and killed his final victim, Julia Hyman, who worked at Rudin. He then turned down a hallway, pointed the gun at his own chest and fired. The police were still investigating the motive for the attack. Mr. Tamura was found with a note urging the authorities to scan him for C.T.E., a degenerative brain disease caused by repeated head trauma that can be definitively diagnosed only after death. The attack came as shootings in New York are close to record lows. Through last week, there were 406 shootings reported in the city, down more than 21 percent from the same period last year and the lowest rate since at least 1993, according to an analysis of police statistics by Vital City, a civic think tank. But the mass shooting on Monday represents a different sort of crime, one for which it would have been difficult for New York to prepare, said Elizabeth Glazer, Vital City's founder and a former criminal justice adviser to Mayor Bill de Blasio. 'Once somebody has a gun and is determined to do what this guy did, unless you turn the city into an armed camp — and even then it's a question — it is very hard to stop them,' Ms. Glazer said. In 2022, the Supreme Court struck down a century-old New York law that had been widely considered one of the strictest in the country. But the state quickly put a new law in place that has so far stood up to legal challenges, keeping New York one of the least gun-friendly states in the nation. David Pucino, the legal director of Giffords Law Center, a gun safety group, said Mr. Tamura would almost certainly have been unable to legally obtain a gun or a permit for it in New York. Under New York's SAFE Act, he would not have been able to buy his gun — a cheaply built AR-15 sometimes referred to as a 'Reddit Special' for its popularity on the internet message board — nor would he have been entitled to the concealed-carry permit he obtained on the other side of the country. In New York, Mr. Pucino said, 'He should have been arrested the second he stepped out of that car.' Had he been in Nevada, 'he would have been legal until the second he opened fire.' In a statement, Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York said the state has some of the strongest gun laws in the nation, but that local laws cannot make up for lax regulation elsewhere. 'We banned assault weapons,' she said. 'But our laws only go so far when an AR-15 can be obtained in a state with weak gun laws and brought into New York to commit mass murder.' Maureen Farrell and Thomas Gibbons-Neff contributed reporting.
Politico
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Politico
Spanberger opens early lead in Virginia governor's race, new poll shows
The centrist Democrat is leading her opponent by double digits, according to new data from Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger addresses an audience at an Everytown for Gun Safety rally on April 10, 2025, in Alexandria, Virginia. |By Jacob Wendler 07/16/2025 02:22 PM EDT Former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic nominee for governor of Virginia, maintains a double-digit lead over her Republican opponent, according to a new poll from Virginia Commonwealth University. The survey, conducted between June 19 and July 3, found that 49 percent of registered voters support Spanberger, with 37 percent saying they would vote for GOP Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears if the election were held today. That's an even bigger lead than Spanberger enjoyed in Commonwealth's December poll, which had Earle-Sears trailing her by 10 percentage points. The poll also found that the cost of living continues to dominate as voters' top concern, with reproductive rights and immigration also ranking high among Virginians' priorities. Spanberger, who represented Virginia's 7th Congressional District from 2019 to 2025 after serving in the CIA, is leaning into the issue by touting an 'Affordable Virginia Plan' that lays out her vision for lowering housing, energy and health care costs.
Los Angeles Times
21-06-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Rhode Island lawmakers pass bill to ban sales of assault weapons
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Rhode Island's Democratic-controlled state House on Friday approved legislation that would ban the sale and manufacture of many semiautomatic rifles commonly referred to as assault weapons. The proposal now heads to the desk of Democratic Gov. Daniel McKee, who has said he supports assault weapons bans. If the bill is signed into law, Rhode Island will join 10 other states that have some sort of prohibition on high-powered firearms that were once banned nationwide and are now largely the weapon of choice among those responsible for most of the country's mass shootings. Gun control advocates have been pushing for an assault weapons ban in Rhode Island for more than a decade. But despite being a Democratic stronghold, lawmakers throughout the country's smallest state have long argued over the necessity and legality of such proposals. The bill applies only to the sale and manufacturing of assault weapons and not possession. Only Washington state has a similar law. Residents looking to purchase an assault weapon from nearby New Hampshire or elsewhere will also be blocked. Federal law prohibits people from traveling to a different state to purchase a gun and returning it to a state where that particular of weapon is banned. Nine states and the District of Columbia have bans on the possession of assault weapons, covering major cities including Los Angeles and New York. Hawaii bans assault pistols. Critics of Rhode Island's proposed law argued Friday during floor debates that assault weapons bans do little to curb mass shootings and only punish people with such rifles. 'This bill doesn't go after criminals, it just puts the burden on law-abiding citizens,' said Republican Sen. Thomas Paolino. It wasn't just Republicans who opposed the legislation. David Hogg — a gun control advocate who survived the 2018 school shooting in Parkland, Fla. — and the Rhode Island Coalition Against Gun Violence described the proposed ban as the 'weakest assault weapons ban in the country.' 'I know that Rhode Islanders deserve a strong bill that not only bans the sale, but also the possession of assault weapons. It is this combination that equals public safety,' Hogg said in a statement. Elisabeth Ryan, policy counsel at Everytown for Gun Safety, rejected assertions that the proposed law is weak. 'The weakest law is what Rhode Island has now — no ban on assault weapons,' Ryan said. 'This would create a real, enforceable ban on the sale and manufacture of assault weapons, just like the law already working in Washington state, getting them off the shelves of Rhode Island gun stores once and for all.' Nationally, assault weapons bans have been challenged in court by gun rights groups that argue the bans violate the 2nd Amendment. AR-15-style firearms are among the bestselling rifles in the country. The conservative-majority Supreme Court may soon take up the issue. The justices declined to hear a challenge to Maryland's assault weapons ban in early June, but three conservative justices — Samuel A. Alito Jr., Neil M. Gorsuch and Clarence Thomas — publicly noted their disagreement. A fourth justice, Brett M. Kavanaugh, indicated he was skeptical that the bans are constitutional and predicted the court would hear a case 'in the next term or two.' Kruesi writes for the Associated Press. AP writers David Lieb in Jefferson City, Mo., and Lindsay Whitehurst in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report.
14-06-2025
- Politics
What to know about Melissa Hortman and John Hoffman, lawmakers shot in Minnesota
State Rep. Melissa Hortman and State Sen. John Hoffman, who were targeted by a shooter on Saturday, were longtime members of Minnesota's state legislature who spent years working to improve their communities, according to leaders who knew them. Hortman and her husband, Mark, were shot and killed at their home in Brooklyn Park early Saturday by a suspect who posed as a police officer, investigators said. They left behind two children. Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were shot earlier in the morning by the same suspect inside their home at Champlin. The couple, who have a daughter, were rushed to a hospital and underwent surgery, Gov. Tim Walz said. Both state leaders were members of Minnesota's Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), a state party affiliated with the Democrats. Hortman, 55, nee Haluptzok, had the most experience in the state legislature. She earned a BA in political science and philosophy at Boston University and worked as an intern for then-Sen. Al Gore and later Sen. John Kerry, according to her campaign biography. Hortman went on to earn a law degree at the University of Minnesota Law School in 1995 and clerked with Judge John Sommerville. She later earned an MPA from Harvard in 2018. Outside politics, Hortman worked as a private attorney and volunteered her time in the local school board and Sunday school at Saint Timothy Catholic Church in Blaine. She first ran for office in 1998, for the State House of Representatives seat, but lost. After another defeat for the same seat four years later, Hortman was elected to the state's District 47B in 2004. Hortman quickly rose through the ranks of the House, serving as assistant majority leader from 2007 to 2010 and as minority whip from 2011 to 2012. She championed many causes, including reproductive rights and environmental issues. She also pushed for stricter gun control and attended events with gun control advocates, including Everytown for Gun Safety. In 2017, she was named minority leader and became speaker in 2019 after the DFL gained a majority in the House. Hortman spearheaded efforts to pass police reform in 2020 following the George Floyd protests. During this year's session, the state House Republicans and the DFL engaged in a tense standoff over leadership after Republicans gained seats. A DFL boycott ended in February with a power-sharing agreement where Hortman retained the title of minority leader until a March special election created a tie in the House. Hortman and her husband were married for 31 years. Mark Hortman worked as a program manager for nVent Electric, a company that specialized in electronics, particularly green electronics, according to his Facebook and LinkedIn pages. Mark Hortman frequently posted photos and updates about his family on his Facebook page. "A couple of weeks ago, I posted a video showing off how we taught our dog how to ring the doorbell when he wants to come inside. Well, now that dog has figured out that if he wants to play he rings the doorbell and then ding dong ditches us just to get us to come outside and play!," he posted in 2023. The couple was kiled on the same day as the birthday of Melissa Hortman's father, her sister, Lieza Jean Haluptzok, told ABC News. "We loved them dearly; they will be missed. It's a horrible thing. I hope they catch him. And they get justice for what happened. It's devastating," she said Saturday afternoon. Hoffman, 60, was elected to the State Senate in 2012. A Wyoming native, Hoffman earned a bachelor's degree from Saint Mary's University and spent several decades working for various Minnesota businesses and non-profits, according to his campaign bio page. He was the co-founder of Consumer Credit of Minnesota, a non-profit consumer assistance organization, and served on the Anoka Hennepin School Board starting in 2005, his bio said. In 2012, he won the state senate seat for District 34 and would win reelection three more times. He served as the minority whip from 2017 to 2020 and is on the Senate's Human Services committee. "Throughout my career, I have been afforded many opportunities to assume progressive management roles, which have allowed me to gain and implement a unique set of expertise," he wrote on his campaign page.
Axios
04-06-2025
- General
- Axios
Why gun switches are becoming more prevalent in Philly
"The sound of war" — that's how Philly police commissioner Kevin Bethel described the rapid gunfire that shattered a recent Memorial Day celebration in Fairmount Park. The big picture: Police believe one of at least three shooters in last month's deadly attack used a firearm equipped with a switch — an illegal device that's becoming a "major issue" in Philadelphia, deputy commissioner Frank Vanore tells Axios. The devices, which can essentially turn pistols into machine guns, have been used in multiple shootings across the city in the past few years, Vanore says. They're being seized more regularly by law enforcement officials in Philly and across the U.S. The latest: Police now believe that six guns were used in the May 26 mass shooting that killed two people and injured nine others, Vanore told Axios following Tuesday's National Gun Violence Awareness Month event at City Hall. Police initially believed at least three shooters were involved, but new evidence raises questions about the possibility of additional shooters or ones armed with multiple guns, Vanore says. Police do not have much surveillance footage of the shooting, so they're "working through" other pieces of evidence to crack the case, Vanore says. No arrests have been made. By the numbers: Philadelphia police have already recovered at least 57 guns equipped with switches this year, per police data provided to Axios. 294 of more than 11,400 guns recovered in 2023 and 2024 — or about 2.5% — were equipped with some form of illegal conversion device, per the data. Threat level: The converted automatic weapons can fire several rounds in seconds with a single pull of a trigger, Vanore says. Switches are becoming more popular because they're easy to buy off the internet, for as cheap as $25, and can be installed with the help of a YouTube tutorial, Vanore tells Axios. They can also be created with 3-D printers. What they're saying: Switches are now a "status symbol" among criminals, says Greg Lickenbrock, director of investigations at gun violence prevention group Everytown for Gun Safety. "It's an intimidation factor," he tells Axios. "It's very easy for a simple altercation to turn into a shootout." Police are"doing everything we can" to eliminate them, Vanore says, and stop potential skirmishes from escalating into violence. Officers will be redeployed from school areas to places where young people typically gather — including parks and community centers — during summer, historically Philly's most violent season, Vanore says. Last summer, Mayor Cherelle Parker signed a bill that banned people from possessing, producing, buying and transferring gun switches and similar rapid-fire devices in Philly. Zoom out: The use of these gun conversion devices, often marketed under common counterfeit trade names like "Glock Switch," has exploded nationally, ATF spokesperson Ben Benson tells Axios.
