As part of National Gun Violence Awareness Month, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey,U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans and Lt. Gov. Austin Davis were in Philadelphia today to announce a state initiative to support victims of gun violence through the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD), which Davis chairs.
“No matter what you look like or where you live, every Pennsylvanian deserves the freedom to live in a safe community,” said Davis. “Every incidence of gun violence makes our streets, our neighborhoods, and our families less safe, and that’s exactly why the Shapiro-Davis budget puts more resources into violence prevention and intervention. However, it’s not just about making investments – it’s about being smart and innovative with those investments, and that’s why we’re proud to be working with Senator Casey and Congressman Evans on this new initiative.”
PCCD’s Victims’ Services Advisory Committee will lead the new Resources for Victims of Gun Violence initiative and work with stakeholders to identify existing resources, as well as gaps and recommendations for improvement over the next year. The program is modeled on proposed federal legislation by Casey and Evans, the Resources for Victims of Gun Violence Act, which would establish an interagency Advisory Council at the federal level to help all victims of gun violence – from survivors to their loved ones, coworkers, and classmates – identify and access the resources available to them to help meet a wide range of personal needs.
“While we continue to fight for commonsense measures to prevent gun violence in our
communities, we owe it to survivors and their loved ones and caregivers to make sure they have the support they need to recover and move forward from gun violence,” Casey said.
“My Resources for Victims of Gun Violence Act with Congressman Evans, along with Lieutenant Governor Davis’s state-level initiative, will better connect survivors, families, and caregivers to resources that support their recovery and help them manage the long-term of effects of these preventable tragedies.”