HARRISBURG – In the aftermath of two mass shootings that stunned the nation, Senator Tom Killion joined Governor Tom Wolf, U.S. Senator Bob Casey and a bi-partisan group of lawmakers and activists at the state Capitol in calling for action on new gun safety laws.
“Our hearts break again for the victims of gun violence and their families,” said Killion referring to the more than thirty people who died last weekend from mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton.
“One hundred people die every day in this country from gun violence. This is unacceptable for a civilized society. We absolutely must take action now on our country’s gun violence epidemic. Enough is enough,” Killion added.
Killion touted his Red Flag legislation, Senate Bill 90, which would allow judges to order the temporary removal of firearms from dangerous and disturbed individuals to help prevent gun suicides and mass shootings.
Also referred to as Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) legislation, President Donald Trump and U.S. Senator Pat Toomey announced their support for a federal Red Flag law earlier this week.
“Families this day are burying their loved ones,” said Gov. Wolf. “We know commonsense gun violence reduction tactics work. We must honor the Second Amendment, but the Second Amendment is not a license to kill,” continued Wolf before calling for the swift passage of the Extreme Risk Protection Order Act.
“We come here today to tell leaders in Washington and around the country that the time for talk is over and the time for action is now,” said Sen. Bob Casey. “We must take action at long last against the scourge of gun violence.”
Julia Mallory of Harrisburg who lost her 17-year old son, Julian, to gun violence also addressed the assembled crowd.
“Communities that wake up and never anticipate this magnitude of tragedy are not immune from tragedy. Now is the time for us to wake up and act. It will never be convenient or easy – as we know progress rarely is,” said Mallory.
Said Killion, “In Pennsylvania alone, there are over 1,500 gun deaths a year, 62 percent of which are suicides. Just in 2016, 236 troubled veterans committed suicide in our state, most with guns. This can’t continue. My Red Flag legislation preserves due process rights and will save lives.”
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