Illinois governor calls gun violence a public health crisis

CHICAGO (AP) — Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has declared gun violence a public health crisis and says $250 million in state and federal money will be directed toward the issue over three years. Pritzker’s office says about $50 million of the Illinois effort will come from the current state budget with the same approach in the following two years. The state will focus efforts on areas including youth intervention programs, trauma recovery and other mental health services. Public health experts and medical groups have called gun violence a public health threat for years.