New York Governor Andrew Cuomo declared a first-in-the-nation disaster emergency on “gun violence” Tuesday following a spate of deadly shootings in the state over the weekend.
“If you look at the recent numbers, more people are now dying from gun violence and crime than COVID,” said Cuomo in a live-telecast announcement. “This is a national problem but someone has to step up and address this problem because our future depends on it.”
“I want you to understand the extent of the problem. I want you to understand how serious this is. We want to do with gun violence what we did with COVID.”
New York is going to sign a law today that reinstates the public nuisance liability for gun manufacturers,” Cuomo continued. “This is going to be a very big deal.”
Cuomo outlined a 7-point plan to go after “gun violence.”
From WGRZ:
The short-term plans include seven different areas of focus, which will split $138.7 million in state funding to get started.
- Treat gun violence like the emergency public health issue it is
- Target hotspots with data and science
- Positive engagement for at-risk youth
- Break the cycle of escalating violence
- Get illegal guns off the streets
- Keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people
- The police-community relationship must be reformed