year; and
WHEREAS, As of May 3, 2021, there were 676 shootings in the
city of Philadelphia, which is a 37.4% increase from the same
time last year; and
WHEREAS, With 24.99 per 100,000 residents, Philadelphia
suffered the highest rate of fatal shootings among the 10 cities
with populations greater than 1 million in the country from
January 2021 through March 2021; and
WHEREAS, As of May 3, 2021, there have been 150 fatal
shootings in Philadelphia, and 65 juveniles have been shot in
Philadelphia this year; and
WHEREAS, In 1995, the Pennsylvania Uniform Firearms Act of
1995 was signed into law with the stated purpose of giving
support to law enforcement in the area of crime prevention and
control; and
WHEREAS, Violations of the Pennsylvania Uniform Firearms Act
of 1995 (VUFA offense) involve individuals who have been
convicted previously of an enumerated list of serious crimes and
then subsequently found to be in possession of a firearm despite
being statutorily prohibited from doing so; and
WHEREAS, The House of Representatives should be knowledgeable
about the procedure and process of handling VUFA offense cases
across this Commonwealth; and
WHEREAS, A review of the handling of VUFA offense cases in
the Commonwealth is necessary to determine if these cases are
being adequately handled under Pennsylvania law and if changes
are needed; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives direct the
Commission on Sentencing to conduct a thorough and comprehensive
study on the investigation, prosecution and sentencing of
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