New York's gun data shows who's right about crime

And stories about the first tightrope walk over Niagara Falls and a secret female soldier.

Good afternoon — it’s Monday and Asteroid Day.

In today’s CapCon:

• As Hochul signs a bill to codify the Office of Gun Violence Prevention, what does New York’s data on gun crime show?

• I looked at data on violent crime by firearm and arrests on gun charges.

• Hochul has also now signed a bill on speed cameras in New York City.

• This Week in New York History: Niagara Falls tightrope and a secret female soldier

• Utility companies would have another hurdle to jump to request rate hikes under a bill Hochul will consider this year.

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Capitol Count features information on bills that move through the Legislature, including those introduced, passed and considered by the governor.

(Will Waldron/Times Union)

📉 Who’s right on gun crime in New York? Is it going down or up?

One of the last things former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo did before he resigned from office in 2021 was issue an executive order that declared gun violence a disaster emergency.

That executive order also created the Office of Gun Violence Prevention and housed it within the state Department of Health.

After he resigned, the office was given a budget of $500,000 by Gov. Kathy Hochul and the Legislature in 2022. That was renewed in 2023. But since 2024, the office has received a significant boost in funding for operations at $3 million.

But the office also wasn’t permanent. Because it was created by an executive order, it could have been eliminated the same way.

That’s no longer the case. Hochul held an event Monday highlighting how this year’s state budget codified the Office of Gun Violence Prevention into state law and transferred it to the state Division of Criminal Justice Services.

The newly enshrined office will coordinate state funding related to gun violence, collect data, increase public awareness, and issue an annual report, per the law.

📊 What New York’s recent data on gun crime shows

New York ranked fifth among states in the nation for the number of gun deaths per 100,000 residents in 2022, the latest data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.

Some elected officials say that gun crime is down. Others say it’s up. I wanted to see who was right, so I pulled the latest data from the state.

Turns out, both sides are right, depending on how you measure the data. And there is a lot of it.