Pennsylvania Office of Gun Violence Prevention and Department of Health Host Listenin...

Montgomery County, PA, PA - Today, the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) and Department of Health (DOH) teamed up tohost the third stakeholder listening session for PCCD's Office of Gun Violence Prevention. This meeting brought together local human services and health care professionals to explore policy, programming, and resources needed to prevent and reduce gun violence throughout Pennsylvania.

"Gun violence is not just a public safety crisis, it is a public health emergency affecting kids, families, and entire communities that demands a comprehensive, community-informed response," said Samantha Koch, Interim Director of PCCD's Office of Gun Violence Prevention. "Addressing this issue effectively requires the engagement of all stakeholders, which is why we are listening to local community members here in Montgomery County and across the Commonwealth to inform our efforts to prevent gun violence and save lives."

Firearm-related injuries and fatalities are a public health crisis. In 2022, more Pennsylvanians died by firearms (1,941) than in motor vehicle accidents (1,344). More than half of firearm-related deaths in Pennsylvania were suicides (1,060, 55%).

"Firearm injuries are now the leading cause of death for American children, including here in Pennsylvania. Many of these deaths are preventable by implementing consistent, safe storage, especially in homes with children," said Secretary of Health Dr. Debra Bogen. "Hearing from community stakeholders, as we did here in Montgomery County, will help us craft strategies to reduce the impact of gun violence on our families and communities."

Pennsylvania has made significant investments in public health and public safety initiatives across the state in recent years to address this issue, and has seen some positive developments. In addition to homicides decreasing by 16 percent across Pennsylvania in 2023-compared to 12 percent nationally- 29 out of Pennsylvania's 67 counties saw declines in homicides. Philadelphia's homicides also decreased 23 percent in 2023 compared to the prior year and are down 40 percent so far in 2024.

While progress has been made, too many Pennsylvanians are still impacted by gun violence.

• Firearm-related injuries remain the leading cause of death for children and adolescents, exceeding motor vehicle crashes.
• Rates of firearm suicide among youth have also increased over the past decade, tripling among Black youth and doubling among Hispanic/Latino youth.
• Pennsylvania's gun death rate for youth is on par with the national average, and its firearm fatality rate overall is significantly higher than surrounding states.

That's why Governor Shapiro signed Executive Order 2024-02 on Sept. 9, re-establishing the Pennsylvania Office of Gun Violence Prevention within PCCD.

This year, DOH partnered with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to distribute free gun locks to residents across the Commonwealth. More than one thousand gun locks have been given out at community events and state health centers. Residents interested in obtaining a free gun lock can contact their local state health center.

Each free gun lock includes information regarding suicide prevention and firearm safety, acting as an important safeguard to help prevent gun-related suicides and unintentional firearm injuries.

Takeaways from the listening tour will drive the work of the Office of Gun Violence Prevention as well as inform Pennsylvania's federal FY 2024 Byrne State Crisis Intervention Program (SCIP) Funding Plan. Community stakeholders are encouraged to complete PCCD's Stakeholder Feedback Survey to share their thoughts related to ideas about policies, programs, and how funding should be used to help reduce gun violence in Pennsylvania.

MEDIA CONTACT: Ali Gantz - [email protected]

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