New York ( CNN ) -- New York authorities said Thursday that they had reached a deal with 23 gun show operators in the state after an investigation revealed weapons were sold without proper background checks . Under the new agreement , authorities say it will be easier to track whether sellers are following the proper safety steps . `` Gun violence is everyone 's concern , '' New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said in a statement , `` and I 'm proud that we 've worked with gun show operators to create simple procedures to ensure that deadly weapons do n't make it into the hands of felons , terrorists , the dangerously mentally ill or anyone else who could not pass a background check . '' The new measures , which authorities hope will be a model for other states , include a requirement that weapons sold by private sellers at gun shows be tagged so operators can be sure proper background checks were performed . The 23 gun show operators who signed on to the deal represent 80 % of the gun shows in the state , the attorney general 's office said . Authorities hope all gun shows statewide will sign on to the deal by the end of the year . Dozens of gun shows are held across America on any given weekend . Gun shows open to consumers are big business , accounting for about 10 % of the industry 's $ 3.5 billion in annual sales , Wedbush Securities analyst Rommel Dionisio said earlier this year . New York is among the states that require background checks at gun shows , and the state 's gun laws are among the nation 's most stringent . In January , Gov . Andrew Cuomo signed laws fortifying New York 's existing assault weapons ban , limiting the number of bullets allowed in magazines and strengthening rules that govern the mentally ill , which includes a requirement to report potentially harmful behavior . Gun rights advocates have pushed to repeal the laws , while some state lawmakers have pushed for stricter measures . On Thursday , Democratic New York State Assemblywoman Linda B. Rosenthal of Manhattan introduced a bill that would ban children under age 12 from attending gun shows . New York 's gun show deal comes just a few days after a U.S. Senate committee approved legislation that would expand background checks covering all U.S. firearms sales , part of a federal gun-control push prompted by December 's school massacre in Connecticut . The background check proposal by Sen. Charles Schumer , a New York Democrat , is expected to face tough opposition once the full Senate takes it up . Schumer 's bill would mandate background checks for all gun sales , including private transactions . The NRA has said increased checks are nothing more than an attempt to create a national gun registry , a move the group vehemently opposes . Forty percent of all firearms purchased in the United States are sold without background checks because the guns are n't bought from a federally licensed firearms dealer , Lindsay Nichols , an attorney with the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence , said earlier this year . Rather , those weapons are bought at gun shows , on street corners , over the Internet or from friends or neighbors , Nichols said . CNN 's Chris Boyette , Todd Sperry , Mike Martinez , Catherine E. Shoichet and CNNMoney contributed to this report .
New York authorities reach a deal with 80 % of the state 's gun show operators . The NY Times reports that, " Under pressure from Mayor Michael Bloomberg and other city officials, the State Board of Elections agreed to allow private sellers at two major events in Manhattan — one for handgun permits and another New York AG : `` I 'm proud that we 've worked with gun show operators ''