Following the tragic events that have rattled the nation, Governor Wolf’s office has recently issued a press release detailing the governor’s calls for gun reform and what has been done to take action against gun violence while he has been in office. In the release, Wolf urges lawmakers to take swift and immediate action against gun violence.
The press release details the following actions that Wolf and his administration have taken for gun reform:
- In 2019, they signed an executive order making sweeping changes to gun violence in Pennsylvania, including the creation of a Special Council on Gun Violence.
- Invested more than $50 million in grassroots, community gun violence prevention programs around the commonwealth.
- Included an additional $35 million in grants and technical assistance to support community-led gun violence prevention efforts in Wolf’s 2022-23 budget proposal.
- Included an additional $36 million in the 2022-23 budget proposal toward behavioral health services, restoring two-thirds of the cuts enacted during the previous administration, and is open to including additional funding.
- In October 2021, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut to share crime gun data in an effort to prevent gun violence and enhance public safety.
- In December 2021, Wolf vetoed Senate Bill 565, legislation that would have removed licensing and background check requirements for concealed carry permits and overturned Philadelphia’s requirement for a permit to open carry.
- In January 2022, Wolf vetoed House Bill 979, which would discourage local jurisdictions from attempting to regulate firearms.
Governor Wolf has called for the following gun laws to be legislated:
- Require reporting for lost and stolen guns within 72 hours.
- Close loopholes and require background checks on all gun sales.
- Require safe storage of firearms to keep guns out of the wrong hands to prevent accidental injury/death and suicides.
- Create red flag laws to protect those who may be a danger to themselves or others.
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