New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed into law gun-control measures.

The bill expands the state's ban on assault weapons, puts limits on ammunition capacity and has new measures to keep guns out of the hands of the mentally ill.

The measure also mandates a life sentence without parole for anyone who murders a first responder. 

At a signing ceremony in Albany, Cuomo said provisions of the bill, such as limiting gun clips to seven rounds and mental health screening for weapons purchases, were essential to making New Yorkers safer.

"People who are mentally ill should not have access to guns, that's common sense," Cuomo said in a Reuters report. "That's probably the hallmark of this bill, coming up with a system that allows for mental-health screens."

Gun rights advocates lashed out at Cuomo and New York's law. "The National Rifle Association and our New York members are outraged at the draconian gun control bill that was rushed through the process late Monday evening," the NRA, the nation's most powerful gun rights lobby group, said in a statement.

"These gun control schemes have failed in the past and will have no impact on public safety and crime," the NRA said. "Sadly, the New York Legislature gave no consideration to that reality."