In Buffalo’s name

Doing the obvious in the wake of a racist mass murder shouldn’t be cause for applause, but here we are in 2022 America, where physical spaces are awash in firearms and virtual spaces are nearly as awash in hateful ideologies. So give Gov. Hochul credit for responding to Saturday’s killing of 10 people in her hometown of Buffalo by attacking the problem from many angles. Barring more aggressive gun-safety measures in Washington — and on the verge of a Supreme Court ruling that might invalidate New York’s gun permitting law — her action plan may not be enough to spare more families more agony, but at least she’s trying.

We’ll start with what we’re most dubious about: The governor asking Attorney General Tish James to investigate social media platforms for allegedly designing algorithms that promote hate speech. Though such speech is vile, it’s constitutionally protected, as is pushing content in which people might be interested to them. While we’d have no problem with companies being shamed into being more responsible, an investigation must “respect individual First Amendment rights,” as Hochul’s referral letter acknowledges.

On gun safety, Hochul’s on solid ground. To ensure that criminally underutilized red flag laws stop more unstable people from wielding weapons, she’s requiring state police to issue protection orders in cases where individuals are deemed to be dangerous to themselves or others. And she’s pledging to close loopholes that enable some assault rifles — which New York’s 2013 SAFE Act meant to ban — to continue to be legally bought and sold in New York, while pressing for overdue regulations like microstamping of ammunition.

None of it compromises the right articulated in the Constitution’s Second Amendment, not even as it has been expansively and incorrectly interpreted by the Supreme Court of late.

Speaking of which: State lawmakers must start drafting legislation, now, to prepare for the high court’s expected shredding of New York’s concealed weapons permitting law. God help us if we wake up one summer morning with a national right to carry — and no clue about how to counter it on our streets.