HARRISBURG, Pa. — Governor Tom Wolf signed an executive order to make changes he says will better target the public health crisis of gun violence in Pennsylvania.
Gov. Wolf and several other gun control advocates and legislators are calling for background checks for guns and a ban on military-style assault weapons.
The governor’s actions come after six police officers were shot and others held hostage for hours after attempting to serve a drug warrant earlier this week in Philadelphia.
“Too many have lost loved ones to gun violence. Too many live in fear of being shot on the sidewalk, in their neighborhood, in the grocery store, at school or at a concert,” Gov. Wolf said.
The executive order named Charles Ramsey as a senior advisor to coordinate and facilitate gun violence reduction. Ramsey is chair of the Pennsylvania Commission of Crime and Delinquency (PCCD).
The executive order also creates the Division of Violence Prevention within the Department of Health. The governor says the two new offices will work together to tackle gun violence from both the gun safety and public health perspectives. Together, they will establish new oversight and data sharing, reduce community gun violence, combat mass shootings, and halt domestic violence-related and self-inflicted shootings.
