Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Photo: Bloomberg

ALBANY — Four governors of Northeastern states are banding together to create a multistate database to share information about guns and law enforcement efforts.

During a conference call Thursday morning, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Connecticut Gov. Dan Malloy, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo announced the “States for Gun Safety” coalition. The announcement came roughly a week after a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, left 17 dead and more than a dozen injured.

The four governors, all of whom are Democrats, argued that banning bump stocks that can turn a gun into an automatic weapon and raising the age for purchasing a weapon isn't enough to quell concerns over safety amid inaction by the federal government.

“This is not about baby steps, this is not about bump stocks and moving the age from 18 to 21,” Cuomo said. “Those are just political crumbs to throw forward to end the political discomfort for some of the elected officials. Let's do something real and let's make a difference.”

The four governors have entered into a memorandum of understanding to share information on firearms in an effort to trace and intercept illegal guns. The multistate database will supplement the federal National Instant Criminal Background Check System that's used to trace guns that are used in crimes.

“Access to information is critical to ensuring individuals are prohibited from obtaining guns in the first instance. Still, there exists a lack of information-sharing between states regarding the individual state's concerns regarding certain individuals. Without possessing this collective information, each state is not necessarily in the best position to determine fitness and suitability of a gun applicant or owner,” the memorandum of understanding says.

The four states will also create a coordinated plan to respond to threats of mass gun violence by “leveraging their collective investigative resources.” The coalition of governors also will launch a Regional Gun Violence Research Consortium to research gun violence. The consortium will include researchers in the areas of criminal justice, public safety, public health, public policy and social welfare, according to the memorandum of understanding.

The New York State Rifle and Pistol Association and the National Rifle Association did not immediately reply to a request for comment on the announcement by the four governors.