The Special Council was created as part of Wolf’s executive order signed in August and tasked with studying and making recommendations to prevent and reduce gun violence. Read more

HARRISBURG, Nov. 25 – State Rep. Isabella Fitzgerald, D-Phila., announced she has introduced a series of bills designated to protect law-abiding gun owners, children and residents in the commonwealth. “It’s unfortunate that anyone could potentially become a victim to gun violence here in Pennsylvania. Whether accidental or intentional, one life lost is one too many. We must put commonsense legislation in place to prevent senseless killings from occurring in the future,” Fitzgerald said. “My three bills would preserve the rights of Pennsylvanians who are carrying guns legally, safeguard our children from being killed accidentally and enforce a ‘cooling-off’ period for a person who may have experienced an unpleasant incident in their life and who looks to potentially commit an act of violence.” The bills introduced by Fitzgerald are: H.B. 2076 – Would require driver’s licenses and photo identification cards to indicate a person possesses a concealed carry permit. H.B. 2077 – Would require all firearms be safely stored whenever they are not in use. H.B. 2078 – Would establish a 72-hour waiting period for purchases of semi-automatic assault rifles. Fitzgerald is a member of the PA SAFE Caucus , which is made up of 70 members of the PA House and Senate who believe in reducing all types of violence in society through Read more

Judiciary meeting a missed opportunity to address the public health crisis of gun violence Read more

PA Safe members applaud governor's executive order addressing gun violence. Read more

DOYLESTOWN, Aug. 16 – State Rep. Wendy Ullman, D-Bucks, announced her strong support of Gov. Tom Wolf’s executive order to address the public health crisis of gun violence in Pennsylvania. “In light of the growing gun violence epidemic, Governor Wolf’s executive order is a necessary first step to end gun violence in Pennsylvania,” Ullman said. The executive order makes widespread changes to executive branch agencies and programs to reduce the number of suicides, homicides and mass shootings in Pennsylvania. The order names Charles Ramsey, chair of the PA Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD), to lead a new Office of Gun Violence Prevention within the agency, and the office will contain a Special Council on Gun Violence which will meet within 60 days to begin developing a plan to reduce gun violence in Pennsylvania. The executive order also creates a Division of Violence Prevention within the Department of Health. Together, the two offices will address gun violence from gun safety and public health perspectives. The offices will establish new oversight and data sharing, work to reduce community gun violence, combat mass shootings, and stop domestic violence related and self-inflicted shootings. Ullman said that the legislature must partner with the governor to have an impact on the gun violence epidemic. Ullman said, “Executive action cannot address the crisis alone. It is absolutely imperative that legislators come Read more

LEVITTOWN, Aug. 16 – State Rep. Tina Davis, D-Bucks, applauded Gov. Tom Wolf’s executive order to address the public health crisis of gun violence in Pennsylvania, saying it was necessary to pass reforms to increase community safety and reduce the threat of gun injuries and deaths. “We need to take drastic action now to preserve people’s lives and the governor’s executive order is a necessary first step,” Davis said. The executive order makes widespread changes to executive branch agencies and programs to reduce the number of suicides, homicides and mass shootings in Pennsylvania. The order names Charles Ramsey, chair of the PA Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD), to lead a new Office of Gun Violence Prevention within the agency, and the office will contain a Special Council on Gun Violence tasked with meeting within 60 days to begin developing a plan to reduce gun violence in Pennsylvania. The executive order also creates the Division of Violence Prevention within the Department of Health. Together, the two offices will address gun violence from gun safety and public health perspectives. They will establish new oversight and data sharing, and work to reduce community gun violence, combat mass shootings, and stop domestic violence related and self-inflicted shootings. Davis specifically mentioned that the legislature needs to take a leadership role by enacting “red flag” laws to get guns out of the hands of Read more

HARRISBURG, Aug. 16 – House members of the PA SAFE Caucus and others today joined Gov. Tom Wolf in announcing a slate of executive actions to make sweeping changes to state agencies and programs to better target the public health crisis of gun violence. At a news conference Friday in Harrisburg announcing the executive actions, Wolf directed his administration to create new state offices focused on violence prevention and reduction, expand programs that promote safety, refocus departments on combatting gun violence as a public health crisis, and increase collaboration and data sharing between the public, government agencies and other states. Reps. Dan Frankel (D-Allegheny) and Jordan Harris (D-Philadelphia) joined Wolf at the news conference and spoke of the significance of the governor’s actions in light of recent events in their districts, expressed gratitude for Wolf’s leadership and said the state legislature must commit to taking on gun violence when it returns to session in September. Speaking on the tragic impact of gun violence in not only his district, but in those across Pennsylvania, Harris said, “This must stop. It must end. There are far too many victims, there are far too many people who have lost their life to gun violence in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Time is out for the talk. We have to do action, and we have to do it now.” Furthering this call for action, Frankel said, “We currently have about two dozen Read more

UPPER DARBY, Aug. 16 – State Rep. Margo Davidson, D-Delaware, announced her strong support of Gov. Tom Wolf’s executive order to address the public health crisis of gun violence in Pennsylvania, saying it was a necessary first step. “I applaud the governor’s decisive leadership to halt the epidemic of gun violence in Pennsylvania,” Davidson said. The executive order makes widespread changes to executive branch agencies and programs to reduce the number of suicides, homicides and mass shootings in Pennsylvania. The order names Charles Ramsey, chair of the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, to lead a new Office of Gun Violence Prevention within the agency, and the office will contain a Special Council on Gun Violence which will meet within 60 days to begin developing a plan to reduce gun violence in Pennsylvania. The executive order also creates a Division of Violence Prevention within the Department of Health. Together, the two offices will address gun violence from the gun safety and public health perspectives. They will establish new oversight and data sharing, reduce community gun violence, combat mass shootings, and stop domestic violence related and self-inflicted shootings. In her roles as chair of the powerful Southeast Delegation and as a consistent leader in the PA Safe Caucus, Davidson said, "I will continue to lead the charge to enact commonsense gun safety reforms that will protect the lives of Read more

This graphic shows the reality of mass shootings in America during and after the federal assault weapons ban. Read more

Like many Americans, I was horrified by the senseless loss of life in El Paso and Dayton this weekend. I mourn for the loss of innocent lives and the devastated families and friends they leave behind. These terrible events mark the 31 st and 32 nd mass killings in the U.S. since Jan. 1 of this year. It’s early August. How many more people will die in mass killings by legally-purchased weapons by the end of the year? Mass killings have become far too commonplace; it terrifies me that we may become desensitized to the horror and come to accept mass murder as part of American culture. This is NOT who we are as Americans. These violent acts are a perversion of the American psyche. We must fight against the normalization of mass murder by renewed commitment to working together to enact meaningful change. A first step would be to enact commonsense gun legislation that would help reduce the threat of gun violence while respecting the rights of responsible gun owners. This session, I plan to introduce a bill requiring individuals to participate in a gun safety training course before purchasing their first firearm or receiving a conceal carry permit. There are dozens more bills awaiting consideration. Unfortunately, these bills have been held back in committee by legislative leaders. Unless bills pass through committee process, there is no opportunity for honest debate and no chance of passage. The democratic process is thwarted and the voice of the people whom Read more