Gov. Tom Wolf speaks during to a news conference addressing gun violence, in Philadelphia, Friday, April 23, 2021.
Matt Rourke / AP Photo
Gov. Tom Wolf announces $15 million for gun violence prevention to fund community programs
The money comes through the Pennsylvania Commission for Crime and Delinquency’s Gun Violence and Intervention program.
By Ericka Conant/ WHYY
Matt Rourke / AP Photo
Gov. Tom Wolf speaks during to a news conference addressing gun violence, in Philadelphia, Friday, April 23, 2021.
(Philadelphia) — Gov. Tom Wolf, joined by Sen. Vincent Hughes and other lawmakers in Philadelphia’s Mill Creek neighborhood, announced a more than $15 million increase in state funding to support gun violence prevention efforts.
The money comes through the Pennsylvania Commission for Crime and Delinquency’s Gun Violence and Intervention program, which initially had $8 million for grants this month.
The extra $15 million announced Thursday, made available through the American Rescue Plan, will also go towards community violence prevention grant programs.
“I am proud to announce an additional $15.7 million dollars of violence intervention and prevention grant funding that has been distributed to community organizations, and I want to point out that that’s community organizations — not some big institution out there somewhere,” Wolf said. “It’s community organizations who know what’s going on on the ground, who can make a difference in their communities.”
Communities across Pennsylvania have seen an increase in shootings and gun violence. In 2021, there were 562 homicides just in Philadelphia. That was up 13% from 2020 and the highest total on record for the city.
Lawmakers pointed out this isn’t just a Philadelphia problem.
“Communities across Pennsylvania have seen an increase in shootings and gun violence — Pittsburgh, York, Reading, Philadelphia, among others,” Wolf said.
The governor and other local lawmakers called on Republican state lawmakers in Harrisburg to join their efforts to provide additional funding to curb violence.
“We all know these investments are simply not enough, and that’s why I am calling on the Republican leaders in the General Assembly to step up and take action to help this work go even further. Gun violence, just like so many forms of systemic inequality, disproportionately harms communities of color and historically marginalized communities,” Wolf said.
He also said he will propose even more support for violence prevention and reduction efforts in the coming months, but to keep building on his initiatives, he asked Republican leaders who prioritize gun rights “to step up to be part of the solution.”
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