ALBANY, NY — The U.S. Supreme Court on June 20 declined to hear challenges to gun control legislation in New York and Connecticut, which ban many types of semi-automatic weapons. Following the decision, Carl Heastie, speaker of the New York Assembly, issued a statement saying, “We have long recognized that military-grade weapons have no place in the streets and neighborhoods where our children play and where families deserve to live without fear.

“Too many times we have watched as broken-hearted families plead in vain for Congress to do the right thing and pass stronger gun-control laws to keep these weapons of mass destruction out of the wrong hands. As we continue fighting to defend our way of life against all threats, both foreign and domestic, it is absolutely critical that we do all we can to ensure that we have the strongest and smartest laws possible to address the issue of gun violence. New York’s SAFE Act, which includes a ban on assault weapons, can serve as a model for the rest of the country.”