(ats) Democrat Andrew Cuomo has declared a sort of “state of emergency” against gun violence, a first in the United States which allows him, as in the face of the pandemic, to mobilize exceptional resources.
A special coordinator for the prevention of this type of violence will be appointed: attached to the health services of the State of New York, he will have to ensure a coordinated action of many social services, the police of the State, the penitentiary services , and others.
“If you look at the latest figures, there are more people dying from guns and crime than from Covid – it’s a national problem that must be tackled, because our future depends on it,” Mr. Cuomo, cited in a statement.
“As with the Covid, New York will again set an example for the rest of the country with a global approach,” said the governor, weakened by several scandals, but who was a highly respected voice on the subject of the pandemic in 2020.
These measures should make it possible in particular to feed back data more quickly, to identify “hot spots” and to allocate resources accordingly.
New York State also plans to invest some 138 million dollars in intervention and prevention programs, including 76 million to create jobs and activities for the young people most “at risk”.
A special police unit to fight the trafficking of firearms from other states will also be created: if New York is one of the American states with the strictest laws on the possession of firearms , it is easy to go and buy weapons in the neighboring states of Pennsylvania or New Jersey, which are more lax.
The governor also signed two laws on Tuesday: one which makes it easier to attack civilian arms manufacturers, the other to prevent wanted people from being able to acquire a weapon. Manufacturers have so far been largely exempt from liability by federal law, which the new New York law will circumvent.
These measures come as New York and the United States have been facing a sharp rise in crime since last summer, with a 30% increase in homicides in the country’s major cities in 2020, presented by Republicans as the result of democratic laxity.
President Joe Biden also introduced measures to limit the circulation of firearms at the federal level on June 23, but Congress is very divided and Democrats are struggling to get things done.
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