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New York Is Raising the Age to Buy an Assault Rifle to 21, Banning Body Armor

AR-15 assault rifles displayed on the exhibit floor during a National Rifle Association annual meeting in 2016. 

AR-15 assault rifles displayed on the exhibit floor during a National Rifle Association annual meeting in 2016. 

Photographer: Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg

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Governor Kathy Hochul and legislative leaders pledged to raise the legal age to purchase an AR-15 assault rifle in New York to 21 years old from 18, and pass a package of measures to tighten gun laws before the end of the state’s legislative session this week.

Citing the mass shootings in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas, local officials said they wanted to close loopholes and address the gaps in laws exposed by the back-to-back massacres.