Erie—CeaseFirePA, the Commonwealth’s only state-based gun violence prevention organization, responded to two horrific shootings in Pennsylvania in the last 24 hours. The first was a mass shooting in Erie that took place on October 9th. In total, 9 people died, including the shooter by suicide and two children. The second was an ambush of Philadelphia police that left one dead and a second severely injured.
“These back to back shootings are a devastating reminder of the gun violence epidemic that is uniquely American. Our hearts are with loved ones, family members and the communities that are trying to piece together lives and mourn in the days after these catastrophes,” said Adam Garber, CeaseFirePA Education Fund’s CEO. “While we wait to learn more, we know one simple truth: those children and family members are dead because of a gun. I used the word catastrophe intentionally–because these shootings are not random or necessary, they are policy choices that, for too long, some elected officials have forced us to live with. In the coming days, we’ll learn more about what happened and the policy gaps in our public safety system. While families and communities come together in search of healing, elected officials can choose to act.”
Pennsylvania lacks many critical gun safety laws that prevent mass shootings including Extreme Risk Protection Orders, bans on ghost guns and glock switches and gun dealer accountability.
