NY Disaster Emergency Declared On Gun Violence: 'Enough Carnage'

As New York emerges from the coronavirus pandemic, a new crisis has emerged in the form of escalating gun violence, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday as he unveiled a new plan to stem the tide of "carnage."

On Tuesday, Cuomo said New York was the first state in the nation to issue an executive order declaring gun violence a disaster emergency — and presented a $138 million, seven-step plan to help tackle the crisis that will also hold gun manufacturers responsible accountable and prevent people with outstanding warrants from purchasing guns.

Cuomo, speaking from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, said the pandemic exposed a low tide of ugliness, including racial disparity that left Black and Brown New Yorkers hit disproportionately hard by the coronavirus physically and economically — as well as by the uptick in gun violence.

"We've gone from one epidemic to another," Cuomo said. Today, he added, more people are dying statewide from gun violence than COVID-19. Over the July 4 weekend, 51 people were shot in New York, while 13 died of COVID-19, he said.

On Long Island, 3 people were shot over the holiday weekend, he said.

"Someone said, 'Those weren't fireworks, that was gunfire,'" Cuomo said. "We're losing young people tragically and needlessly."

In order to combat the issue, while gun violence is a national issue, it must be addressed statewide, Cuomo said. In order for the economy to recover and people to return to New York City, for example, they need to feel safe, he said.

As it stands, New York has the "strongest gun law in the United States of America," Cuomo said. The New York Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement Act of 2013, or the NY SAFE Act, was signed into law in 2013 and bans assault weapons, he said.

Statistics indicate that Black people are 10 times more likely to be killed with a gun and Latino men, 3.4 times more likely, Cuomo said. In addition, gun violence results in $280 billion in healthcare and societal costs annually, he said.

Nationwide, gun homicide statistics indicate that 59.8 who die are non-white, while in New York State, that number rises to 68.4 percent, and in New York City, 77 percent are non-white, Cuomo said.

In statewide hotspots for gun violence, 4,090 young men aged 18 to 24 comprise 48.5 percent of the gun violence in those cities, Cuomo said.

On Long Island, in Wyandanch, a hotspot zone in Suffolk County, 11.9 percent of at-risk youth have seen 57.1 percent of the shootings; in Nassau County, 20.5 percent of Hempstead's at-risk youth have seen 60.5 percent of recent shootings, Cuomo said.

There are both on-term plans, based on preventive strategy, and short-term plans that need to be enacted, Cuomo said. "Time is not on our side," he said.

The disaster emergency allows the state to free up funding to help facilitate a comprehensive plan of attack, he said.

The seven-step plan includes treating gun violence as a public health emergency; targeting hot spots with data; fostering positive engagement with at-risk youth; breaking the cycle of escalating violence; getting illegal guns off the street; removing them from the hands of dangerous people; and rebuilding police and community relationships, Cuomo said.

"We want to do with gun violence what we did with COVID, with the same level of attention," he said.

Gun violence exists across New York, including Suffolk and Nassau Counties on Long Island, Cuomo said.

Facets of the plan include the creation of jobs for at-risk youth; participation in those jobs can reduce violence by 45 percent, Cuomo said. The goal is to hire young people from the most impacted neighborhoods and train them for careers, with $57.5 million allocated to the creation of 21,000 jobs, he said.

In addition, Cuomo said the focus needs to be on eradicating gang activity, with 50 percent of homicides and 55 percent of non-fatal shootings associated with gangs. By intervening at the hospital the first time a person is shot, that violence can be reduced by 60 percent, Cuomo said. In addition, the state hopes to expand its SNUG violence prevention program by 112 percent and triple funding for youth in areas such as sport and arts in hotspot areas.

To get illegal guns off the streets, Cuomo declared a "border war. Illegal immigration is not killing Americans. Illegal guns are killing Americans," he said.

Cuomo said a special unit will be created in the state police department to work on the border; neighboring states including New Jersey, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania will share best practices, he said.

In addition, Cuomo said New York will do with the Congress did not, when Congress kept gunmakers immune from lawsuits. New legislation will prevent people with active warrants from purchasing guns, to "close that Trump loophole," Cuomo said.

Police reform is also critical, Cuomo said, with a focus on reimagination and reinvention.

"This is normally not a state role but these are not normal times," Cuomo said, adding that local leaders need to step up.

Rep. Lee Zeldin, who has announced a run to unseat Cuomo, spoke out: "Andrew Cuomo thinks New Yorkers are all just trapped here indefinitely in the Cuomo Show 24/7. Nonsense! Want to stop crime? Support police more, not less. Hire more cops. Repeal cashless bail. Keep qualified immunity. Defend the rights of law-abiding citizens and target criminals. While the COVID-19 pandemic enriched Governor Cuomo with millions of dollars personally, an Emmy Award, and a padded ego, no one wants to relive this Cuomo Show 2.0. It’s over. This needs to be about cracking down on surging crime rates and having the backs of those entrusted to put their lives in harm’s way to defend public safety.”

Giffords, the gun violence prevention group led by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, lauded New York State for passing legislation that could lead to firearm manufacturers being held legally liable for harm caused by their weapons.

"This bill will provide New Yorkers with an avenue to seek justice, reopening the courtroom doors for victims who have suffered as a direct result of the gun industry’s irresponsible practices and reintroducing accountability to an industry that has acted with impunity for too long," said David Pucino, senior staff attorney for Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence.

The bill, signed by Cuomo Tuesday, makes New York the first state to allow lawsuits against gunmakers. In 2005, the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act became federal law, granting gun dealers and manufacturers unprecedented immunity from civil lawsuits.

New York State Senator Anthony Palumbo also reflected on the news: "Today Governor Cuomo issued an executive order declaring gun violence in New York as a disaster emergency. This is the same governor who in recent years signed the disastrous no bail and other pro-crime legislation into law.The crime wave that is impacting New York State right now has more to do with Albany’s reckless policies than with the pandemic. Instead of governing by fiat, the governor should be working with the legislature to repeal these misguided laws and bolster law enforcement's ability to keep our communities safe," he said. "Albany must abandon the dangerous anti-police rhetoric and policies that have endangered the health and safety of countless New Yorkers and work to reestablish New York as the safest big state in the nation."