To combat the surge of gun violence in his state, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has declared a Disaster Emergency, giving resources, and potentially funding, to law enforcement.
The seven-pronged plan announced at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in Manhattan does not directly mention funding or even enforcing laws or cracking down on criminals, but instead uses Democrat talking points-like agenda items.
"I am issuing an Executive Order declaring a Disaster Emergency on gun violence," Cuomo, who just last month ended the COVID-19 disaster emergency order in his state, said, according to WHEC-10 Rochester, New York. "Gun violence is a public health crisis, and we must treat it like one.
"This declaration will allow us to give this crisis the full attention & resources it deserves."
The seven points of emphasis in Cuomo's disaster plan are, according to NBC-4 New York:
- Treat gun violences as a public health emergency.
- Study hotspots with data and science.
- Engage with at-risk youth.
- Break the cycle of rising violence.
- Take illegal guns off the streets.
- Keep "dangerous people" from acquiring guns.
- Rebuild the community-police relationship.
Like Chicago under Mayor Lori Lightfoot, New York has seen a rise in gun violence. Reports show 687 people have been injured or killed in a shooting this year through June 6, reflecting the most since 2000.
Experts on Newsmax have forecast a violent summer ahead and even President Joe Biden has sought to address the rising violence nationwide, declaring the federal government will be "taking on the bad actors doing bad things to our communities."
Biden's plan does include using unspent money from the American Rescue Plan for state and local leaders to bolster policing in the most dangerous areas, and he is specifically focused in cracking down on illegal gun purchases and illegal sellers.