The New York Senate has voted to ban the sale of machetes to minors.
The measure endorsed Wednesday would prohibit stores or individuals from selling the heavy blades to anyone under 18. Similar rules are now in effect for box cutters and utility knives.
The proposal is sponsored by Sen. Phil Boyle, a Long Island Republican. Boyle says machetes are used by criminal gangs responsible for violent crimes around the state and on Long Island.
The bill now heads to the Assembly for consideration.
A state law passed last year added machetes to a list of "dangerous or deadly" weapons that also includes daggers, razors and stilettos, making it a separate crime to possess a machete with the intent of using it in a crime.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
