Schenectady gun shop owner: Raising age to 21 won’t help

Gov. Kathy Hochul wants to raise the age to legally purchase certain types of weapons — like semi-automatic rifles — to 21. However, not everyone agrees with the governor.

"Changing the age is essentially kicking the can down the road. We’re not actually changing anything," said Craig Serafini, the owner of Upstate Guns and Ammo in Schenectady.

Serafini says he is devastated by the recent mass shootings. He says he understands what the governor is trying to do, but he disagrees. He says age does not matter.

"I know many, many, many people that are teenagers who are exceptionally responsible and by the same token, I know people who are over the age of 21 who are irresponsible," he said.

Serafini believes restricting certain guns wouldn’t matter because individuals who want to do harm will find a way.

"The firearm itself is immaterial. It is the action in general that is important. So I don’t think eliminating or changing a specific firearm is going to solve the problem. Again, we get into the root cause of why did it happen," he said.

Serafini says when the governor is looking at changing gun laws, he wants her to touch base with gun shop owners.

He believes addressing mental health is also crucial as well.