At least 150 people were killed in the three-day Fourth of July holiday weekend, known as Independence Day in the US, according to a tracker.
Today I am issuing an Executive Order declaring a Disaster Emergency on gun violence.
— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) July 6, 2021
Gun violence is a public health crisis, and we must treat it like one.
This declaration will allow us to give this crisis the full attention & resources it deserves.
The casualties took place in more than 400 shootings nationwide, data from Gun Violence Archive revealed. The data is compiled from more than 7,500 sources.
In Chicago, Illinois alone, gunfire left 14 dead and 67 wounded.
The US has been hit by a surge in shootings since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
President Joe Biden unveiled a strategy to combat gun violence on June 24 that urged a united effort to reduce gun violence.
Breaking on @MSNBC: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has just announced a statewide "Disaster Emergency" to combat gun violence.
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) July 6, 2021
The order free ups resources for state and city officials. Cuomo says the state will treat the issue like the public health emergency it is.
"We have an opportunity to come together now — as Democrats and Republicans, as fellow Americans — to fulfill the first responsibility of government and our democracy: to keep each other safe. Enough," Biden said at the White House.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
