Gun violence: New York declares “disaster emergency”

The US state of New York has declared a “disaster emergency” because of the increasing violence with firearms. “If you look at the current numbers, more people are now dying of gun violence and crime than Covid,” said New York Governor Andrew Cuomo yesterday (local time). Among other things, a special police unit to combat the trade in firearms is to be created.

In addition, Cuomo wants to appoint a representative for the prevention of armed violence who is linked to the health authorities. He is supposed to act at the interface of social services, prisons, police forces and other authorities. He also announced investments in prevention programs. 76 million dollars (64 million euros) alone are to flow into job creation for young people.

Sharp increase in crime

Compared to other states, New York has very strict gun laws. However, it is easy to get guns in the neighboring states of Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Cuomo signed a new legal text to make it easier for civilians to file lawsuits against arms manufacturers and dealers. Weapons manufacturers are largely exempt from liability throughout the US. A second law signed is to prevent wanted criminals from acquiring a weapon.

In New York, as in the rest of the United States, there had been a sharp rise in crime since last summer. In the country’s major cities, the number of homicides rose by 30 percent in 2020.

President Joe Biden made proposals to curb gun violence in June. The opposition Republicans, however, accuse Biden of negligence in prosecution and block his plans in Congress.

–

–