Gun Violence Is Now Declared A Disaster Emergency

Who would have thought that we would be declaring this type of emergency, last year was the absolute most trying year that most people have ever been through, loved ones lost to COVID-19, families that were out of work and struggling financially, and I'm sure there are several other issues that were brought on by the global pandemic. Gun violence in Buffalo has reached levels that I have never heard of in all my years in this city, and residents are really raising their voices louder than ever before.

According to wgrz.com Governor Andrew Cuomo announced an executive order declaring gun violence a disaster emergency statewide. Some of the things that will be introduced to help with the amount of gun violence statewide are, the creation of the "Office of Gun Violence Prevention" which will be overseen by the Department of Health. There will also be a "State Police Gun Trafficking Interdiction Unit" which will be designed to stop guns from illegally entering the state.

If you look at the recent numbers, more people are dying from gun violence and crime than COVID-19. This is a national problem but someone has to step up and address this problem because our future depends on it.

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Here are some of the plans that have been laid out for this emergency disaster. Target hot spots with data and science, another thing is to have positive engagement with at-risk youth, break the cycle of escalating violence. These are just a few of the things that the Governor mentioned as part of the initiative to curb the rise in gun violence.