To try and add to background checks to curb gun violence, there is a new bill being proposed to search social media. The New York State Senate is proposing a new bill that would require those who wish to apply for a pistol permit to give up their social media usernames and passwords. This is so the government can search for posts that raise red flags.

According to News 10 ABC, officials would be looking for concerning social media posts and searches that would have to do with racial slurs, biased language and threatening posts about terrorism. If these things were found, the pistol permit would be denied.

This bill may have a slim chance of passing because it needs a companion bill in the Assembly. There is also the fact that what determines a social media post "concerning" is not completely clear.

According to the bill, the social media accounts included are Facebook, SnapChat, Twitter, and Instagram.

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