BUFFALO, NY - When state lawmakers get back to work in January, Democrats say they plan on reintroducing bills on gun control. This comes after the horrific shooting in Texas on Sunday, in which 26 people were killed.
State Senator Brad Hoylman, a downstate lawmaker, says during the new legislative session he'll reintroduce a bill called the Safe Homes Act.
Under that bill, when police respond to a domestic violence call where a gun is on the premises and make an arrest, the officers would have to to seize the gun and any firearms license owned by the person being arrested.
This is different from what police already do during domestic violence calls. State Police tell 2 On Your Side that during these incidents, they would seize a firearm, only if it was owned illegally, or if they were concerned it could be used to do harm.
Senator Holyman and other supporters say it's needed after this past weekend's church shooting that killed 26 people in Texas, where the shooter had a history of domestic violence. Hoylman said in a statement: "had there been a legal mechanism to take away his weapons, Sunday's shooting may have been avoided."
Police in Texas, though, haven't reported any recent domestic incident involving the gunman that a law like this might have applied to.
We wanted to know where Western New York state lawmakers stand on this and called every one of them.
Only four responded, and they were Republican Senators Michael Ranzenhofer and Patrick Gallivan and Republican Assembly Members David DiPietro and Angelo Morinello -- all said they were unavailable to talk with us about this legislation.
"It's a totally unnecessary bill the police have all the authority they need to take weapons in a situation they think is dangerous," said Budd Schroeder, chairman emeritus of SCOPE.
The Safe Homes Act has been proposed in the legislature for the past six years, but has not gotten out of committee and put to the floor for a full vote.