Gov. Andrew Cuomo Declares Gun Violence As ‘Public Health Emergency’ In New York

On Tuesday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced a state of emergency for gun violence and allocated almost $139 million to combat the state’s rising gun-related injuries and deaths.

The emergency declaration will allow New York State to utilize its resources to prevent gun violence more efficiently.

With his announcement, New York state became the first state ever to declare a state of emergency against gun violence.

“It is a matter of saving lives, and New York’s future depends on it,” Cuomo said Tuesday during the press conference at John Jay College in Manhattan. “People are not coming back to this city. They’re not coming back to any city until they know they are safe.”

New York state currently is seeing a greater death toll from gun violence than from COVID-19.

Fifty-one people were shot across New York State during the July 4th long weekend, while 13 people died from COVID-19.

Cuomo revealed that the state would spend about $76 million on creating roughly 21,000 jobs and other projects for young people since gun-related crimes and injuries mostly come from the younger demographic.