美国国家公共电台 NPR--After mass shootings, New York tightens its gun restrictions

After mass shootings, New York tightens¹ its gun restrictions²

Transcript³

Nearly three weeks after the mass shooting at a supermarket in Buffalo⁴ and 10 days after the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, New York state lawmakers passed a sweeping⁵ gun control package.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

It has been nearly three weeks since the mass shooting at a supermarket in Buffalo, N.Y., 10 days since the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. And while President Biden last night called for a national ban on assault weapons, New York state lawmakers passed a sweeping gun control package. That decision came a day after four victims were shot dead on a hospital campus in Tulsa and on the same night as two women were gunned down outside a church in Ames, Iowa. WNYC's Albany reporter Jon Campbell is with us to talk about New York's response to what feels like relentless⁶ gunfire. Jon, welcome.

JON CAMPBELL, BYLINE⁷: Hello. Good morning.

MARTIN: What exactly did New York legislators pass last night?

CAMPBELL: So lawmakers passed a series of 10 gun control bills. It marked the most significant package of gun control legislation in New York since the state bolstered⁹ its assault weapons ban after Sandy Hook in 2013. And a lot of these measures were in direct response to the Buffalo and Texas shootings. They're dealing¹⁰ with things like making it more intensive to buy a semi-automatic rifle and making it illegal to purchase or sell body armor in most cases. Another of these bills would eventually require new handguns to be equipped with microstamping technology. And that's a technology which imprints¹¹ a unique code on bullets as they're fired from a gun. These bills, they're all slated¹² to quickly become law. Governor Kathy Hochul is a Democrat¹³. And she's pledged to sign each one of them.

MARTIN: Explain the significance of this because New York is already known for pretty strict gun control. How do these new bills change what's already on the books?

CAMPBELL: Yeah, you're right. A lot of these bills actually build on past action by the legislature. New York already has very strict restrictions on semi-automatic weapons, some of the strictest in the country. But now a person will have to obtain a license¹⁴ to purchase a semi-automatic rifle. And that means they're going to have to be at least 21 years old. Before, you could legally purchase one at 18 years old. There's also a measure to bolster⁸ the state's red flag law, which - that's something that allows a judge to order the seizure¹⁵ of somebody's firearms if they're a threat to themselves or others. Now, more health care workers, they'll be able to seek an order under that law. And police officers will be required to seek an order if they have probable cause that somebody is a threat. There's also another measure that's in response to the Buffalo shooting. State police, they had ordered a mental health evaluation¹⁶ for the alleged¹⁷ shooter after he made a prior threat at his high school. But nobody had ever saw it in order to prevent him from buying a gun under that red flag law. That's why they bolstered it.

MARTIN: So there is this challenge before the U.S. Supreme¹⁸ Court right now to one of New York's oldest gun restrictions, a law that makes it difficult to get a permit to carry a concealed¹⁹ weapon. How did that play into the consideration of these bills?

CAMPBELL: So it did and it didn't. Governor Hochul and lawmakers, they were very aware of that pending²⁰ decision. It could come down as soon as this month. But they were hesitant to really take any action specifically related to the state's concealed carry laws because there was this concern that they could, perhaps, look like they were conceding defeat. And they didn't want to give Supreme Court justices any fodder²¹ for their pending decision. That said, the governor has already suggested that she may bring the legislature back to Albany for a special session if the court does strike down that state law to deal with the fallout in some way or form.

MARTIN: So let's just take a second and talk about the politics of this because the governor and lawmakers who pass these bills are up for election this year. Democrats²² are already expected to have a tough road ahead in these midterms. How will the package be seen politically?

CAMPBELL: So it'll play out differently in different parts of the state. Governor Hochul, she was once a Congress person. She represented a very conservative area in western New York. At that point, she had an A rating from the NRA. Now she has to appeal to a statewide electorate²³. It's largely based in New York City. It's heavily Democratic. And voters there are in favor of gun control. So generally, this is seen as a net positive for the governor from a political standpoint.

MARTIN: Jon Campbell from Albany.

(SOUNDBITE OF MAYBESHEWILL'S "CRITICAL DISTANCE")

1 tightens   

收紧( tighten的第三人称单数 )； （使）变紧； （使）绷紧； 加紧

参考例句：

• One set of provisions tightens emission standards. 一套使排放标准更加严格的规定。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• Requires no special tools or fittings; hand tightens to relief valve outlet. 不需要专用工具或管件；用手将其紧固到安全阀上即可。

2 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

3 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

4 buffalo   

n.(北美)野牛；(亚洲)水牛

参考例句：

• Asian buffalo isn't as wild as that of America's. 亚洲水牛比美洲水牛温顺些。
• The boots are made of buffalo hide. 这双靴子是由水牛皮制成的。

5 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

6 relentless   

adj.残酷的，不留情的，无怜悯心的

参考例句：

• The traffic noise is relentless.交通车辆的噪音一刻也不停止。
• Their training has to be relentless.他们的训练必须是无情的。

7 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

8 bolster   

n.枕垫；v.支持，鼓励

参考例句：

• The high interest rates helped to bolster up the economy.高利率使经济更稳健。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。

9 bolstered   

v.支持( bolster的过去式和过去分词 )；支撑；给予必要的支持；援助

参考例句：

• He bolstered his plea with new evidence. 他举出新的证据来支持他的抗辩。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The data must be bolstered by inferences and indirect estimates of varying degrees of reliability. 这些资料必须借助于推理及可靠程度不同的间接估计。 来自辞典例句

10 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

11 imprints   

n.压印( imprint的名词复数 )；痕迹；持久影响

参考例句：

• With each step he took, his boots left muddy imprints on the floor. 她父亲的毡靴一移动，就在地板上压了几个泥圈圈。 来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说
• In Freudian theory, the imprints are memories, albeit unconscious ones. 在佛洛伊德理论中，这些痕迹就是记忆，只不过它们是无意识的。 来自互联网

12 slated   

用石板瓦盖( slate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Yuki is working up an in-home phonics program slated for Thursdays, and I'm drilling her on English conversation at dinnertime. Yuki每周四还有一次家庭语音课。我在晚餐时训练她的英语口语。
• Bromfield was slated to become U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. 布罗姆菲尔德被提名为美国农业部长。

13 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

14 license   

n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许

参考例句：

• The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
• The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。

15 seizure   

n.没收；占有；抵押

参考例句：

• The seizure of contraband is made by customs.那些走私品是被海关没收的。
• The courts ordered the seizure of all her property.法院下令查封她所有的财产。

16 evaluation   

n.估价，评价；赋值

参考例句：

• I attempted an honest evaluation of my own life.我试图如实地评价我自己的一生。
• The new scheme is still under evaluation.新方案还在评估阶段。

17 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

18 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

19 concealed   

a.隐藏的，隐蔽的

参考例句：

• The paintings were concealed beneath a thick layer of plaster. 那些画被隐藏在厚厚的灰泥层下面。
• I think he had a gun concealed about his person. 我认为他当时身上藏有一支枪。

20 pending   

prep.直到，等待…期间；adj.待定的；迫近的

参考例句：

• The lawsuit is still pending in the state court.这案子仍在州法庭等待定夺。
• He knew my examination was pending.他知道我就要考试了。

21 fodder   

n.草料；炮灰

参考例句：

• Grass mowed and cured for use as fodder.割下来晒干用作饲料的草。
• Guaranteed salt intake, no matter which normal fodder.不管是那一种正常的草料，保证盐的摄取。

22 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

23 electorate   

n.全体选民；选区

参考例句：

• The government was responsible to the electorate.政府对全体选民负责。
• He has the backing of almost a quarter of the electorate.他得到了几乎1/4选民的支持。