Cuomo Declares a Gun Violence Emergency in New York State

Not long after the coronavirus bore down on New York last year, gun violence surged, rising nearly 75 percent in the state’s largest cities. But even as the virus receded in recent months, shootings continued to rise.

On Tuesday, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo declared a new state of emergency around gun violence and committed almost $139 million to reverse the trend of rising shootings and murders across the state.

The emergency declaration, which the governor said was the first by a state to address gun violence, would allow New York officials to quickly coordinate resources and provide funding for community-led efforts to prevent and respond to shootings.