As crime skyrockets in New York City and Mayor Bill de Blasio does nothing, Governor Andrew Cuomo is taking action at the state level, and all the wrong kind.
According to American Military News:
Cuomo declared a state of emergency for gun violence on Tuesday, marking the first of its kind ever enacted in the United States, the governor’s office said. According to Cuomo’s office, the emergency declaration requires the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services to “gather and share incident-level data” from local law enforcement on gun violence and invests almost $140 million in intervention, prevention and jobs programs.
The order also establishes the Office of Gun Violence Prevention to “coordinate efforts and direct resources to emerging gun violence hot spots” and creates a new state police gun trafficking unit to stem the flow of illegal firearms into New York.
Cuomo’s office is joining the new trend of treating gun violence as a “public health crisis,” which will enable Cuomo to use government however he pleases to attempt to meet his ideological goals. No action will be taken to implement the most obvious policies that reduce gun violence will be implemented, such as strictly enforcing harsh penalties for illegal guns and increasing the number of police on the street.
The governor’s office said the Office of Gun Violence Prevention established under the order will be overseen by the New York State Department of Health. The office will be led by a governor-appointed Gun Violence Prevention Coordinator who will “coordinate an all-of-government approach to ensure that state and local programs are advancing unified gun violence prevention strategies.”
According to the pro-gun control Giffords Law Center, New York already has the fifth strongest gun laws in the state (and New York City has even more gun laws on top of that).
New York City saw an explosion in crime alongside defunding of the NYPD last year, with homicides up 41 percent and shootings up 95 percent compared to the year before. Shootings are up another 68% so far this year.
If guns themselves were the root cause of this surge in violence (that’s also occurring nationwide), it would be great to hear an explanation for why it’s midwestern states that have the more lax gun laws, and are among the safest in the nation.
Matt Palumbo is the author of Dumb and Dumber: How Cuomo and de Blasio Ruined New York, Debunk This: Shattering Liberal Lies, and Spygate
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