New York Declares Disaster Emergency Order To Prevent Gun Violence
July 7, 2021, 2:48 am

New York Declares Disaster Emergency Order To Prevent Gun Violence

According to BBC, New York has become the first US state to declare a disaster emergency order to address rising gun violence.

As he was signing the executive order, Governor Andrew Cuomo said New York state saw 51 shootings over the 4 July holiday weekend.

The directive will funnel $138.7m (£100m) towards gun violence intervention and prevention programmes.

It comes amid reports of a rise in gun deaths countrywide, including nearly 200 over the past weekend.

In March, the FBI released preliminary 2020 statistics showing a significant jump - 25% - in murders from the year before. So far, the upward trend has continued into 2021. In the US, the majority of homicides are gun-related.

According to BBC, US President Joe Biden unveiled a White House strategy to combat the rise in homicides in late June, which includes curtailing rogue gun dealers and firearms trafficking. It also delegates more funding for personnel - including law enforcement.

Governor Cuomo's state disaster declaration describes gun violence as a public health crisis, and made several comparisons to the Covid-19 pandemic and the resulting public health response.

BBC reported, citing the Democratic governor as saying: "If you look at the recent numbers, more people are now dying from gun violence and crime than Covid."

"Just like we did with Covid, New York is going to lead the nation once again with a comprehensive approach to combating and preventing gun violence."

Source: BBC

Image source: Getty Images-BBC

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Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.