New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) on Saturday announced the passage of legislation that would strip all firearms from New Yorkers convicted of domestic violence, updating a previous law that prohibited abusers from owning handguns.

In a press release on the governor's website, Cuomo said the law, which passed the state Assembly by 85-32 and Senate by 41-19 this week, will make the state "safer and stronger."

"New York is once again leading the way to prevent gun violence, and with this common sense reform, break the inextricable link between gun violence and domestic violence," Cuomo said.

ADVERTISEMENT

The law forces convicted domestic abusers to turn in rifles, shotguns, and any other firearms they were not previously prohibited from owning under a law passed after the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, that barred abusers from owning pistols or revolvers.

In his press release, Cuomo faulted the federal government for not doing more to protect citizens from gun violence.

"The recent wave of mass shootings is horrifying, and the federal government's failure to act on any form of meaningful gun safety laws is unconscionable," Cuomo said.

"This legislation builds on our gun laws -- already the strongest in the nation-- to make New York safer and stronger."

Cuomo's support of the bill comes amid the announcement of a primary challenge from Cynthia Nixon, the former 'Sex and the City' actress who launched her campaign to unseat Cuomo earlier this month.

Nixon has tried to cast herself as to the left of Cuomo on issues such as wealth inequality and infrastructure reform in a state considered one of the safest-blue in the nation.