Photo: Governor Kathy Holchul
Governor Hochul is strengthening the safety restrictions on realistic-looking imitation weapons.
A new law that she signed Tuesday makes imitation weapons easily identifiable, preventing them from being used to commit crimes while allowing law enforcement to identify devices as fake when assessing threats. The law also clarifies that imitation weapons can't be black, blue, silver or aluminum-colored. Data from the Attorney General's office shows there have been at least 63 shootings in the state as a result of individuals mistaking imitation weapons for real firearms, eight of which resulted in fatalities.