Mayors from across New York came together in a first-of-its-kind way to call for an end to gun violence.

Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown hosted eight other mayors for a virtual press conference on Tuesday to start National Gun Violence Awareness Month. Community anti-violence groups joined the mayors, and said now is the time to listen to those affected by gun violence.

This comes after the recent mass shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde, Texas, and amid a spike in gun violence in cities across the state.

“Turning our grief into action,” is what Brown described as the goal of the press conference.

Brown is calling on federal, state and local leaders to step up efforts to remove illegal guns from the streets of New York. He says a recent Pew Research study found the top concern for eight in 10 Black Americans in their community is gun violence. Brown calls this a national crisis and says it's time to step up and say no more.

"Over the last 17 days, we have continued to witness the dark reality of gun violence in America," said Brown. "From the mass shooting right here in Buffalo to the tragedy in Uvalde, Texas. Plus, an additional 24 lives lost across 10 states in other gun incidents."

The mayors say they will use this next month to figure out ways to improve coordination across the state.

“If we’re listening to those communities, which we are, we have an opportunity to make change in communities that desperately need it,” said K. Bane, founder and executive director of Community Capacity Development.

“Let’s invest in people,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams. “Let’s realize this is a crisis that impacts too many families across the country.”

The mayors say they will use June as a time to pause and reflect on what’s working to stop gun violence within their communities.

“I hope 50 years from now people will look back and say this is the time they finally did something,” Rochester Mayor Malik Evans said.

Friday is National Gun Violence Awareness Day. That’s when skylines across the state will be lit orange. A weekend of faith will also be held, with mayors encouraging churches to preach sermons dedicated to stopping gun violence.