Are New York Schools Safe In Light Of Texas Shootings? [POLL]

NEW YORK — New Yorkers and the rest of America continue to be horrified about the deadly elementary school shooting that happened Tuesday in Uvalde, Texas.

Nineteen children and two teachers were murdered by an 18-year-old gunman who legally bought two assault rifles on his last birthday, CNN reported.

Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Wednesday she wanted to prohibit anyone under 21 years of age from buying certain firearms in the state.

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She made the announcement, not only in the wake of the Texas massacre, but also soon after another 18-year-old was accused of killing 10 people in a Buffalo supermarket, the Journal News reported.

Hochul wondered why a person who's not old enough to legally drink alcohol is allowed to buy an AR-15-type rifle.

New York hasn't been immune from school shootings either.

The Times Union's Emilie Munson wrote Thursday that the state has had 76 school shooting incidents since 1971.

That includes four shootings just in 2022, the most recent this month in Staten Island. There were three in February: Brooklyn, Buffalo and Mount Vernon.

And while there were no specific threats in the Hudson Valley Wednesday, the day after the Texas murders, there was stepped-up police presence around schools throughout the region.

New Rochelle Superintendent Jonathan Raymond released a statement Wednesday morning that said "we are struggling to process an unspeakable horror at one of our nation's schools."

He said the district's security teams were on high alert and the New Rochelle Police Department increased patrols around the schools.

So how do you feel about security in your neighborhood's schools? Are the students safe?

Now it's your turn to weigh in on the issue. Vote in our unscientific poll and tell us what you think in the comments.