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PRINTER'S NO. 411
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No.
44
Session of
2021
INTRODUCED BY SIMS, KIRKLAND, HOHENSTEIN, SANCHEZ, N. NELSON,
PARKER, HILL-EVANS, FIEDLER, FRANKEL, A. DAVIS, SCHWEYER,
ISAACSON, SCHLOSSBERG, KINKEAD AND WARREN, FEBRUARY 8, 2021
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY, FEBRUARY 8, 2021
A RESOLUTION
Recognizing gun violence in Pennsylvania as a public health
crisis.
WHEREAS, Gun violence is a public health crisis that demands
a comprehensive response as more than 1,500 residents of this
Commonwealth die by a firearm every year and 76% of all
homicides in this Commonwealth are carried out with a firearm;
and
WHEREAS, As of 2018, more residents of this Commonwealth died
by firearms than in car accidents, and while the number of
deaths in car accidents continues to decline because of safety
regulations and public outreach, firearms deaths have increased;
and
WHEREAS, Firearm violence increased by more than 25% in 2020
in Philadelphia; and
WHEREAS, Children under 15 years of age in the United States
are 12 times more likely to be killed by a gun than children in
other industrialized countries and exposure to gun violence can
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have a lasting traumatic effect on children; and
WHEREAS, Sixty-two percent of firearm deaths in this
Commonwealth are suicides; and
WHEREAS, Suicides are largely impulsive and preventable,
since 71% of individuals who attempt suicide decided to do so
within an hour of making the decision; and
WHEREAS, Beyond the human toll and loss of life, gun violence
costs the Commonwealth $8.5 billion every year in health care,
lost income and other expenses; and
WHEREAS, The same public health approach can be taken with
gun violence as the public health approach taken in numerous
other areas to promote safety, including vehicle safety and
accident prevention and smoking prevention and adverse health
impact awareness; and
WHEREAS, The American Medical Association has recognized gun
violence as a public health crisis and has called on state
governments to enact gun safety legislation; and
WHEREAS, Gun violence kills and injures thousands of
residents of this Commonwealth every year and has a lasting
effect on the loved ones of victims who suffer with
psychological effects, including high rates of PTSD and
substance abuse; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives recognize the
epidemic of gun violence is a public health crisis that requires
a comprehensive and urgent public health response to reduce the
number of firearm-related incidents.
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