Governor Wolf announced today that the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency’s (PCCD) School Safety and Security Committee (Committee) has authorized the establishment of a new statewide technical assistance project to promote local gun violence prevention initiatives.
“Community violence prevention organizations play a critical role in keeping our neighborhoods safer, but they typically have limited funding and ability,” Governor Wolf stated. “This program will assist grassroots organizations and others involved in this critical work in connecting with and learning from one another, as well as gaining access to resources that will help them grow and continue their life-saving initiatives.”
PCCD stated in January 2022 that up to $750,000 in state money will be available to assist the Violence Intervention and Prevention (VIP) Technical Assistance Project.
The grant announcement solicited applications from qualified candidates with expertise in providing technical assistance and training, with a focus on grassroots community groups adopting community violence reduction tactics.
The Committee has authorized a $750,000 proposal from WestEd to conduct the statewide VIP Technical Assistance project over a two-year period in collaboration with Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC).
Read More: She-hulk Release Date: What Is Coming to Disney’s Plus 2022?
Statewide Practice Group.
This effort will create and run a Statewide Community of Practice, which will include GVR and VIP grantees, as well as other grassroots community-based groups and stakeholders from throughout Pennsylvania. The initiative will provide participating organizations with a broad variety of technical help, training, and capacity-building support, based on a requirements assessment done at the start of the project.
Furthermore, the Community of Practice will offer participants a venue and chances to interact with peers and subject experts on issues ranging from gun violence prevention and community violence response tactics to nonprofit management.
Governor Wolf is making another attempt to curb gun violence in Pennsylvania:
Read More: Eminem Rehab: How Did Eminem’s Rehabilitation Affect His Life?
He issued an executive order in 2019 that made significant revisions to Pennsylvania’s gun laws, including the establishment of a Special Council on Gun Violence.
Over $50 million has been spent on grassroots, community-based gun violence prevention projects throughout the Commonwealth.
In December 2021, he vetoed Senate Bill 565, which would have repealed Philadelphia’s need for an open carry permit and abolished licensing and background check requirements for concealed carry licenses.
He vetoed House Bill 979 in January, which would dissuade municipal governments from seeking to restrict weapons.
Gov. Wolf and the Pennsylvania State Police said last week that they are ready to enact stronger controls on ghost weapons in the state.
On PCCD‘s Gun Violence webpage, under the “Technical Assistance &governance and program management to best practices for supporting frontline workers, participants, and staff,” more information about the Statewide Community of Practice, as well as updates on events, pieces of training, and other resources, will be made available.
