Cuomo’s Gun Control ‘Emergency Declaration: ’is a ‘Try, Try Again’ Failed NY Policy as crime soars

‘Try, Try Again’ is Failed NY Gun Control Policy, Says Writer

 By Dave Workman

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s declaration of a “disaster emergency on gun violence” has been met with a barrage of criticism from two leading national gun rights organizations, and some critics are portraying this move as an attempt to distract public attention from his legal problems over his response to the COVID-19 crisis and allegations of sexual harassment.

The Empire State governor announced a plan to use more than $138 million in an effort to combat a rising wave of violent gun-related crime. A big share of that money will go toward the creation of summer job opportunities for “at-risk youth,” according to NBC News.

He also signed legislation that will make it easier for municipalities to file lawsuits against the firearms industry, which may immediately run afoul of the federal Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act. That statute prohibits “junk lawsuits” that were popular back in the early 2000s  as an attempt to bankrupt the gun industry.

Cuomo went on the warpath against guns and the firearms industry after the July 4 holiday weekend produced a rash of shootings across the state, including 26 in New York City. His plan calls for treating so-called “gun violence” as a public health emergency.

The Empire State governor announced a plan to use more than $138 million in an effort to combat a rising wave of violent gun-related crime. A big share of that money will go toward the creation of summer job opportunities for “at-risk youth,” according to NBC News.

He also signed legislation that will make it easier for municipalities to file lawsuits against the firearms industry, which may immediately run afoul of the federal Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act. That statute prohibits “junk lawsuits” that were popular back in the early 2000s  as an attempt to bankrupt the gun industry.

Cuomo went on the warpath against guns and the firearms industry after the July 4 holiday weekend produced a rash of shootings across the state, including 26 in New York City. His plan calls for treating so-called “gun violence” as a public health emergency.

This law is unconstitutional, plain and simple,” Keane said. “It is abhorrent that Governor Cuomo is rehashing a decades-old failed playbook that was rejected by courts in the 1990’s and early 2000’s. Governor Cuomo is, again, blame shifting for his administration’s failures to prevent crime by pointing fingers at firearm manufacturers that have been working with federal, state and local authorities…This law is based on the same legal understanding that would allow victims of drunk drivers to sue Ford and Budweiser for the criminal actions of an individual. This law is not legal accountability. It is political posturing.”

Rights Groups Slam Cuomo on Gun Control ‘Emergency Declaration’

Writing at the Foundation for Free Economic Education (FEE), Hannah Cox put it bluntly about Democrats and gun control: “Gun control has not only failed to make a dent in crime, as evidenced by New York’s own ‘epidemic’ among others, it has cost many innocent people their lives as well.”

Cox, the FEE content manager and brand ambassador, takes special aim at the recent executive order on guns issued by Gov. Andrew Cuomo in response to the Empire State’s uptick in deadly gun-related crime, especially in New York City.

“Gun control proponents may never admit the numerous failures under their policies,” Cox observes, “but executive orders like this one spell it out loud and clear. Sometimes actions speak louder than words.”

This is very similar to a report about gun-related homicides in Washington State that appeared recently in AmmoLand News. In the Evergreen State after passage of two anti-gun-rights initiatives in recent years (2014 and 2018) the number of homicides hasn’t declined and the number of killings in Seattle has more than doubled. Liberty Park Press checked this week with the Seattle Police Department, learning there are already 24 murders in the city this year. That’s equal to the average annual number of slayings in recent years, but it is four less than for the same time last year.

Back at the other end of the country, Cox had some observations about Cuomo’s gun control strategies.

“For those who’ve followed the issue of gun control, many of these initiatives look familiar,” she notes. “They say if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Democrats seem to have taken that motto to heart as they continue to approach spikes in crime and gun violence with more of the same failed policies that led to the problem in the first place.”

Cox takes a swipe at New York gun laws, noting that in New York City “it is virtually impossible for anyone outside of law enforcement to obtain a gun permit—they often can’t even have them in their homes, much less on their person.”

This is one of the factors leading to the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association’s legal challenge to the state’s carry permit scheme, which is more focused on denying permits to citizens than it is to put them on equal footing with violent criminals, critics argue. That case will be taken up by the U.S. Supreme Court in its next term, beginning in October. As reported previously by TGM, gun rights groups led by the Second Amendment Foundation have filed an amicus brief with the court, supporting NYSR&PA’s case.

A separate brief was also filed by the grassroots Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms. The NYSR&PA is one of the Committee’s state affiliate organizations, so CCRKBA’s brief is a stand-alone that looks at the history of private citizens bearing arms for their personal protection, from Colonial times to the present.

According to New York City Police data, June saw 33 murders, which is down from the 43 murders reported in June 2020. So far this year, however, the city has racked up 213 slayings, which is up 21 victims from the 192 reported for the same period last year.