Wolf signs executive order he hopes will lead to reduced gun violence
HARRISBURG — At the end of a week that saw two mass shootings in Philadelphia, Gov. Tom Wolf signed an executive order Friday intended to reduce gun violence in the state.
The order requires state agencies to collect more data about gun violence, instructs state police to boost their monitoring of hate groups and white supremacists, and increases efforts to help local police departments respond to threats of mass shootings.
It also increases efforts to promote a program that allows people to send text messages to alert law enforcement to “suspicions of mass shootings” and creates a council of criminal justice experts and lawmakers to study gun violence and provide policy recommendations.
“Too many Pennsylvanians have died from gun violence. Too many have lost loved ones to gun violence. Too many live every day in fear of being shot on the sidewalk, in their neighborhood, at a grocery store, at school or at a concert,” the governor said during an emotional signing ceremony inside the Capitol.
As Mr. Wolf signed his name to the order with a fine-point black
marker, a slew of cabinet officials and Democratic state lawmakers flanked him. Many of the legislators came from urban areas, such as Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, where residents have experienced both mass shootings and daily violence.
Sen. Anthony Williams, a Philadelphia Democrat, said the signing was emotional for him. Six Philadelphia police officers were shot on Wednesday, and five other people were wounded in a separate shooting in Philadelphia on Thursday.
Mr. Williams praised the governor for taking “the politics out of whether you have the right to have a gun or not” and recognizing “the dignity of human beings is first and most important.”
Rep. Dan Frankel, whose district includes the Tree of Life synagogue in Squirrel Hill where 11 people were killed in a mass shooting Oct. 27, echoed those words.
But Mr. Frankel, like others present, also called on lawmakers to address gun control bills when they return from summer recess. When he meets with constituents, for whom in many cases the Squirrel Hill shootings are still fresh, “The one thing I hear consistently is, ‘What are you going to do about it?’”
Mr. Wolf’s executive order makes several changes that do not require approval from the Republican-controlled Legislature, according to his office. It comes at a time when public pressure is mounting across the nation, and particularly in Democratic circles, for politicians to address gun-control measures in the wake of a series of deadly shootings.
Mr. Wolf’s order creates new divisions within existing state agencies, such as the Department of Health and the Commission on Crime and Delinquency, to focus specifically on finding ways to reduce gun violence. It creates a special council, consisting of criminal justice experts and lawmakers, and tasks them with forming policy recommendations. It also designates former Philadelphia police Commissioner Charles Ramsey as the governor’s senior adviser on such issues.
The new efforts will roll out as Mr. Wolf and other Democrats negotiate with Republican leaders on several gun-control bills. Democrats who joined Friday’s signing ceremony called for universal background checks, requiring safe -storage devices and mandating the reporting of lost and stolen guns, among other measures.
Republican leaders have signaled their willingness to discuss some measures. The conversation this fall is expected to focus on a “red flag” bill, which would give judges wider latitude to temporarily confiscate guns.
Some Republicans have noted that high-profile shootings involve suspects whose criminal records should have prevented them from obtaining guns. And they have expressed a desire to preserve the constitutional rights of gun owners who abide by the law.
“We understand that we cannot take action that will criminalize the millions of Pennsylvanians who responsibly and legally own firearms,” said Jennifer Kocher, a spokeswoman for Senate Republicans.
Still, Democrats are urging action. As tears ran down his face, with his voice raised, state Rep. Jordan Harris, a Philadelphia Democrat, urged his fellow lawmakers to pass stricter gun control laws.
“We have to do something, something to address the pain and the carnage that far too many of our citizens are dealing with.”