Gun Violence Report of Findings, Recommendations & Action Steps
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Special Council on Gun Violence Report of Findings, Recommendations & Action Steps March 2020 March 11, 2020 The Honorable Tom Wolf Governor Commonwealth of Pennsylvania 508 Main Capitol Building Harrisburg, PA 17120 Dear Governor Wolf: Thank you for the privilege to serve as your Special Advisor, and for asking me to chair your Special Council on Gun Violence. When you signed your Executive Order last August, you tasked the Special Council with identifying steps Pennsylvania can take to address gun violence as a public health crisis and improve the quality of safety and security throughout the Commonwealth. In doing so, you challenged us to look at available research and data to identify promising practices and, most importantly, to listen to our fellow Pennsylvanians. Since our first meeting in October, my colleagues on the Special Council have worked diligently to understand the scope of gun violence in the Commonwealth and develop the enclosed Report of Findings, Recommendations & Action Steps to prevent further tragic loss of life. I am grateful to these individuals for sharing their time, perspectives, and expertise in this important endeavor. In that process, Special Council members heard from hundreds of Pennsylvanians – from surgeons who have stitched together bullet hole wounds, to faith leaders who console families and communities in the wake of unimaginable loss and grief, to students who worry about going to school each morning. We listened to survivors and perpetrators of gun violence, and to those who believe the constitutional right to keep and bear arms must be preserved. This process also welcomed and encouraged dissenting thoughts. And while the enclosed report was the result of consensus, some members of the Council embraced that spirit of dissent and offered their own written opinions. (Note: Those comments can be found in Appendix J.) In a world that seems increasingly characterized by division, I was proud that our work was collaborative, thoughtful, and respectful. It is in that spirit of cooperation and with a hope for what is possible that these findings, recommendations, and action steps are presented. It is a testament to the practical, problem-solving nature of Pennsylvanians. And it focuses on what’s possible here in this Commonwealth and in our communities – because it’s up to all of us to do what we can to make a better Pennsylvania. Sincerely, Charles H. Ramsey Chair, Special Council on Gun Violence Chairman, Pennsylvania Commission on Crime & Delinquency TABLE OF CONTENTS Special Council on Gun Violence Members ............................................................................................ 4 Acknowledgments........................................................................................................................................... 5 Executive Summary of Recommendations ............................................................................................. 6 About the Special Council on Gun Violence ......................................................................................... 10 Firearm Ownership & Regulation in Pennsylvania ............................................................................ 11 Gun Violence: A Public Health & Public Safety Concern ....................................................................... 18 Findings, Recommendations & Action Steps ...................................................................................... 23 I. Prevention ........................................................................................................................................... 26 II. Keeping Firearms Out of the Wrong Hands ................................................................................. 36 III. Mental Health .................................................................................................................................... 45 IV. Community Gun Violence ................................................................................................................ 50 V. Training & Education ........................................................................................................................ 57 VI. Coordinated Planning & Response ................................................................................................. 59 VII. Informing Better Policies & Practices ............................................................................................. 63 Appendix A: Key Terms and Definitions ............................................................................................... 65 Appendix B: Executive Order 2019-06 – Reducing Gun Violence .................................................. 68 Appendix C: Workgroup Meetings and Public Hearing Dates ....................................................... 72 Appendix D: Sales and Transfers of Firearms by Licensed Dealers by County, 2013-2018..... 73 Appendix E: Licenses to Carry Firearms Issued by County, 2013-2018 ........................................ 77 Appendix F: States with Licensing Requirements for Firearm Purchase or Possession ......... 79 Appendix G: States with Lost or Stolen Firearm Reporting Requirements ................................. 80 Appendix H: States with Background Check Requirements Exceeding Federal Standards . 82 Appendix I: States with Safe Storage and/or Child Access Prevention Laws ............................. 85 Appendix J: Written Comments from Special Council Members ................................................... 93 SPECIAL COUNCIL ON GUN VIOLENCE MEMBERS Chairman Charles H. Ramsey Special Advisor to the Governor Chairman, PA Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) Members Ms. Mikele Bay Honorable Teresa Miller Dr. Helena Tuleya-Payne Director/Forensic Interviewer Secretary Child Psychologist Children’s Advocacy Center of PA Department of Human Millersville University of PA McKean County Services Mr. Michael Pennington Mr. Marcus Brown Honorable Eric Nelson Executive Director Director, Homeland Security Representative, 57th District PCCD Office of the Governor PA House of Representatives Mr. Mike Vereb Honorable Jake Corman Ms. Angela Parker-Quarles Director of Government Affairs Senator, 34th District Member PA Office of Attorney General PA Senate Victims’ Services Advisory Committee Sheriff Eric Weaknecht Colonel Robert Evanchick Sheriff Commissioner Honorable Pedro Rivera Berks County Sheriff’s Office PA State Police Secretary PA Department of Education Honorable Anthony Williams Honorable Brian Kirkland Senator, 8th District Representative, 159th District Dr. Jack Rozel Pennsylvania Senate PA House of Representatives Medical Director, resolve Crisis Services Mr. Robert Williams Honorable Rachel Levine UPMC Western Psychiatric Chief Probation & Parole Secretary Hospital Officer PA Department of Health County of Berks PCCD Staff Kathy Buckley, Angela Crater, Rich Finley, Charles Gartside, Heather Hewitt, Kirsten Kenyon, Samantha Koch, Zoe Miner, Robert Orth, Debra Sandifer, Danielle Wilbert Consultants (Facilitation and Research) Colleen Copple, James E. Copple, Jessica Drake, Stephen Manik, Strategic Applications International (SAI); Dr. Francia Henry, MION Consulting Special Council on Gun Violence – Report of Findings, Recommendations & Action Steps 4 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The Special Council on Gun Violence and the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) would like to acknowledge and thank individuals who shared their time, perspectives, and expertise to help inform the development of this Report of Findings, Recommendations & Action Steps. Whether providing testimony at a public hearing, serving on a Workgroup, or responding to an Online Public Comment Survey, more than 600 Pennsylvanians provided ideas and insights that served as the foundation for the Special Council’s work. PCCD would also like to thank the organizations and institutions that served as hosts for stakeholder conversations, including Misericordia University, University of Pittsburgh, York City School District, Pennsylvania State University, Temple University, and the Dixon University Center at the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE). In addition, PCCD thanks state agencies that assisted the Special Council in its efforts to access available data and identify promising practices and recommendations, including the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts (AOPC), Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing, Pennsylvania Department of Education, Pennsylvania Department of Health, Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA), and Pennsylvania State Police. Finally, PCCD would like to express appreciation for the skillful facilitation and research support provided by staff from SAI and MION Consulting. Note: Inclusion of individuals and their organizational affiliations serves as recognition of service and does not imply endorsement of this report by any specific individuals or organizations. Special Council on Gun Violence – Report of Findings, Recommendations & Action Steps 5 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS I. PREVENTION: STOPPING GUN VIOLENCE BEFORE IT BEGINS Primary Prevention & Youth Engagement Strategies 1. Support and elevate effective, collaborative community-based practices to prevent gun violence in the Commonwealth. (p. 26) 2. Increase availability of evidence-informed primary prevention programs, social emotional learning, conflict resolution skill development, and other initiatives that build