The governor issued an executive order that makes New York the first state in the U.S. to declare a disaster emergency on gun violence.
To fight the issue, Cuomo issued an executive order that he said will provide necessary resources to curb what he called a public health crisis. He also compared gun violence to COVID-19.
"We went from one epidemic to another," he said."We went from COVID to the epidemic of gun violence and the fear, and the death, that goes along with it. It's so bad when you look at the recent numbers, more people are dying of gun violence than of COVID."as well and wrote that"gun violence is a public health crisis, and we must treat it as one."Gun violence is a public health crisis, and we must treat it like one.
During the press conference, Cuomo detailed the immediate actions he will implement statewide to help stem gun violence. He identified seven key areas:Target hotspots with data and science.Get illegal guns off the streets.The governor talked of immediate steps, as well as future strategies. "Our strategy is two-pronged. Long term, the solution is compressive, community-based prevention strategy so young people don't get into this situation in the first place. They don't arrive in a place of crisis. You don't have the same level of violence and the same level of antagonism, and that's from community-based services—that's prevention, community development, housing, health care, and economic activity.
"But today, let's focus on the short term because people are dying every day out there," he continued."You know what the problem is—it's a statewide problem and it is an emergency, and I want the people in this state to understand that. So today, New York is the first state in the nation to declare a disaster emergency on gun violence."