Gun violence has recently become a problem in the United States as more and more gun-related tragedies have emerged. The United States is among the most heavily armed nations in the world and approximately 270 million firearms are held by US civilians (Brussels). With such a large number of weapons, the situation could become unpredictable without proper gun control. For example, one of the most tragic events occurred in the nation on December 14, 2012, twenty children and six staff members were killed by a single man at Sandy Hook Elementary School. New York passed the Firearms and Ammunition Act of 2013 becoming the first state to respond to the tragedy in Newton, Connecticut (Rosebrugh). Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who signed it into law, now requires renewal of gun licenses every five years and background checks on all gun sales, making New York one of the most difficult places to get a weapon. The recent bill passed by New York should be a model for federal law because strict gun laws could protect innocent lives from being taken by groups of people such as criminals or mentally unstable people; Better gun enforcement and stricter gun laws are needed to reduce gun violence. New York has enforced gun laws to ensure better safety for its people. After the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School, New York was the first state to change its law in response to the mass shooting (Kaplan). The law extends the assault weapons ban to semi-automatic weapons, reduces the size of the gun's magazine from ten to seven rounds, and requires background checks for all gun sales. By banning semi-automatic weapons and reducing the magazine size to seven from ten, you will prevent mass shootings like those in Connecticut elementary schools from happening... middle of paper... enforcement laws around the world spurred by mass shootings. " The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, December 18, 2012. Web. July 16, 2013. Ferner, Matt. “Universal background checks for private gun sales approved by Colorado House committee.” 2013. Web. July 17. 2013. Kaplan, Thomas. “Sweeping Gun Limits Become Law in New York.” The New York Times, January 16, 2013. Web. July 17 “New York Is First State to Pass Tougher Gun Law.” .com, January 23, 2013. Web. July 17, 2013. Sowell, Thomas - Thomas Sowell - National Review Online." NRO. Np, 22 January 2013. Web. 16 July. 2013. Spetalnick, Matt and Steve Holland. “Obama makes biggest gun control campaign in decades.” Reuters. Thomson Reuters, 16 January 2013. Web, 17 July. 2013.