Texas school shooting: Howard Safir provides strategies to make it harder for kids to acquire assault weapons

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Don't prohibit assault weapons, make them harder to get: Safir

Former NYC police commissioner discusses banning assault weapons 'Your World.'

Assessing the Texas school shooting, former New York City Police Commissioner Howard Safir said Thursday there are ways to make it more difficult for kids to instantly purchase assault weapons on "Your World."

HOWARD SAFIR: If you look back at the school shootings, almost all of them involve young men 18 or under and assault weapons. So I know there’s no way that Congress is going to pass the assault weapon ban again. But I do believe there’s a way that this can be fixed. Under the Federal Firearms Act [of 1938], machine guns are available to the public, but in order to get a machine gun, you have to submit two photographs, your fingerprints, and a local law enforcement agency has to certify that you have a reason to have one. 

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So why not do the same thing with assault weapons and classify them under the same statute and make sure that anybody that wants one with a legitimate reason can get it, but 18-year-old Ramos can’t go into a store and put $2,000 down and get it instantly. That is one way that you can maintain the right to an assault weapon. But you have to go through a few hoops so these young kids don’t get them right away.

WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW HERE:

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