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Pennsylvania Governor Signs Executive Order Aimed at Reducing Gun Violence

In the wake of a highly publicized shootout involving police officers in Philadelphia, Governor Tom Wolf signed an executive order aimed at reducing gun violence in the state.

There are five primary components of this order, which is the first of its kind in the United States at any level of government. Those components are as follows:

  • The creation of a new special council on gun violence
  • Goals and plans to reduce community gun violence
  • Installation of new oversight and data sharing
  • Methods of combatting mass shootings
  • Curbing shootings related to domestic violence or self-harm/suicide

The governor also called on the Pennsylvania General Assembly to pass new legislation aimed at reducing gun violence, including safe storage legislation, red flag laws, mandated and strengthened universal background checks for all gun purchases and lost or stolen gun reporting procedures.

The signing of the executive order came just days after a pair of mass shootings in Philadelphia. Now, stage agencies will be required to gather more information on gun violence, while state police will increase monitoring of hate groups and white supremacists. Nearly all the costs associated with the new enforcement initiatives included in the order are covered in the state’s current budget.

Recent high-profile shootings, including those here in Pennsylvania, have strengthened support for action against gun violence and increased police enforcement.

To learn more about how these new orders will affect the prosecution of weapons charges in Pennsylvania, contact knowledgeable Reading criminal defense lawyer David R. Eshelman.

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