MONROE COUNTY, Pa. — Monroe County leaders are teaming up with residents to make a plan to address gun violence.
From 2011 to 2020, Monroe County reported a 24.3% increase in weapons cases.
Officials say in 2021 alone, there were 575 gun violence incidents, including homicide, shootings, domestic violence cases, and suicides.
Last year, Monroe County received a grant from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency to assess the community's needs.
More than 700 people took a survey to help develop a plan on how the county can combat gun violence and even identify trends in the area.
The study identified communities where reported incidents are higher, including East Stroudsburg, Tobyhanna, and Stroudsburg.
"It was lower than the state, wide trends, and the national average, so that is a great thing and confirms what a lot of us truly believe. We have a great county here," said Rick Parsons, deputy director of the Carey Group.
"The county traditionally has a lot of gun owners; we are actually ahead of the state in gun ownership, and a lot of that is from the county's role in hunting and firearms use in general in a lawful way. But then, we have an attitude toward guns primarily by youth that can be reckless," said District Attorney Michael Mancuso.
Two big concerns in the county are mental health and youth education around firearms.
The county has received a $695,000 grant to put violence intervention resources into action.
Officials hope this next step means officers will have fewer gun-related calls to respond to.
"People won't be committing crimes or accidents with guns, which require a lot of investigation, and the burden on law enforcement will reduced, and we'll all be safer as a result," explained Mancuso.
The full gun safety strategic plan will soon be available online to view.