Cephas addresses gun violence at her State of the 192nd Town Hall
Rep. Morgan B. Cephas February 14, 2020 | 12:20 PM
PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 14 – As gun violence continues plaguing Philadelphia, state Rep. Morgan Cephas hosted her State of the 192nd Town Hall on Tuesday to address this public health crisis.
Dozens of people attended the panel discussion entitled the "Roadmap to Safer Communities: City and State Measures to Address the Gun Violence Crisis," which featured:
- Vanessa Garret-Harley: deputy managing director of criminal justice and public safety, City of Philadelphia.
- Kiana Brown: Philadelphia Office of Violence Prevention.
- Capt. Robert McGeever: 19th Police District.
“If we want the best chance to stop this growing epidemic, our neighbors, police and community leaders must be part of the conversation,” said Cephas, D-Phila. “I want to thank everyone who came out to listen and let their voices be heard. Showing up is an important part of moving our communities forward.”
Members from the Philadelphia Anti-Drug/Anti-Violence Network were also in attendance.
“There isn’t just a single answer that can solve gun violence,” Cephas explained. “Protecting Pennsylvanians requires a multipronged approach, which includes investing in mental health programs, fully funding our schools, teaching our children the difference between right and wrong from the beginning, and passing commonsense gun safety laws.”
Cephas is fighting to pass several pieces of gun safety legislation that would:
- Enact universal background checks (H.B. 673).
- Create Extreme Risk Protection Orders, or ERPOs (H.B. 1075).
- Require lost or stolen firearms to be reported to law enforcement within 72 hours (H.B. 1288).
- Help keep guns out of the hands of children (H.B. 525).
Cephas is hosting a telephone town hall next Tuesday, Feb. 18 to further discuss gun violence, along with other issues facing the 192nd Legislative District.