PA Teams With Other States In Effort To Curb Gun Violence

Pittsburgh PA

07 October, 2021

2:24 PM

Description

HARRISBURG, PA — Law enforcement agencies in four northeastern states will share crime gun data in an effort to reduce firearms-related crimes and identify and arrest straw purchasers, weapons traffickers and other criminals. The sharing agreement was signed Thursday by Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, New York Governor Kathy Hochul and Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont. Under the memorandum of understanding, the individual states will be responsible for determining the identification, credentialing, screening, level of access and any training needed for those granted access to the data. A state is required to notify the other states of any misuse or suspected misuse of the shared data. "If we want to reduce the scourge of gun violence, we must work with partners in our communities, as well as our neighboring states, to curb the flow of illegal guns and those used to commit criminal acts," Wolf said. "This collaboration among our states will be an important resource to protect the public and I'm proud to work with New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut on the shared goal of making our communities safer." More than 30,000 gun deaths typically occur in the United States each year. Although the Department of Justice has estimated that 60 percent of adult firearm deaths are suicides, firearms were used in 73 percent of all homicides in 2019, according to the FBI's most recent Crime in the U.S. report. According to Gun Violence Archive, an independent online site that collects gun related incident reports from more than 7,500 law enforcement, media, government and commercial sources daily, gun incidents across the country in 2020 included: 19,411 willful, malicious or accidental deaths. 39,492 injuries. 999 children aged infant through 11 killed or injured. 4,142 teens aged 12-17 killed or injured. 611 mass shootings. 573 murder-suicides. New Jersey's Murphy noted that firearms trafficking networks often operate on an interstate basis and states should work collaboratively to halt their activities. "By sharing vital gun crime information, we are equipping our law enforcement agencies with the necessary resources and intel to analyze, track, and deter gun violence," he said. "Our multi-state approach reaffirms our collective commitment and shared goal of ending gun violence in our communities and enhancing public safety throughout our region." New York's Hochul agreed that a collaborative approach is needed, saying ,"This regional partnership will give law enforcement the resources they need to combat gun violence, save lives and make our communities safer." Added Connecticut's Lamont: "Firearms are frequently taken across state borders when involved in crimes, and Connecticut is committed to partnering in these kinds of regional coalitions to strengthen the safety of our communities." Be the first to know what's happening in your community and region. With a free Patch subscription, you'll always be up to date on local and state news: https://patch.com/subscribe.