In his first days in office, President Trump has already undone one of the most successful approaches to reducing gun violence at the federal level. The Office of Gun Violence Prevention made demonstrable improvement in driving shootings down by ensuring effective funding to community programs and law enforcement. Eliminating that office threatens our progress against gun violence, and responsibility for the next preventable firearm death lies squarely with this Administration.
The harmful action at the federal level makes it even more important that we continue to support the state’s Office of Gun Violence Prevention and fund our own, state-level community violence prevention activity. We are making our neighborhoods safer and we cannot be disheartened or discouraged now. Thanks to champions like Governor Josh Shapiro and Lieutenant Governor Austin Davis, Pennsylvanians are safer. The programs and grants they have funded through the Commission on Crime and Delinquency have paid off in the reductions of gun violence we saw in 2024, in every community but particularly in the decade-low level of firearm deaths reported in Philadelphia.
Our advocacy for safety at the local level has never been more critical; CeaseFirePA will remain committed to that effort and applauds Pennsylvanian leaders on this issue – in spite of the decline in support we are already seeing from Washington.
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CeaseFire PA envisions life without gun violence that allows people from every community across the commonwealth to thrive — where communities feel safe, because they are safe.
