 Okay, let me let's get started. I thank you all for for being here I just want to point out and I hope I get every all the representatives senators who are here But we have representatives Harris and Frankel and you'll be hearing from both of them in in a minute In addition, we have representative Briggs Johnson Harrell McClinton. We have representative Madden representative Kim representative Zabel Who did I miss? You get everybody okay senators Williams and Costa Anybody Oh, yeah, yeah, I'm sorry, sorry. I got you. I got you. I got will be I got you. Okay I've only been in politics for four and a half years. I know that what I just did was a death-defying act Mission everybody's here. So if I miss him, but I'm really sorry, but thank everybody for joining me today This is really important As many of you know, I was going to do this yesterday and all of us were planning to be here But unfortunately just hours before the press conference was scheduled to occur Philadelphia was once again Plague by another example of gun violence the man wielding a gun shot six Philadelphia police officers He held two other hostage officers hostage And he terrorized countless other families during a standoff that lasted later than into the night Just a side thing. I mean that that was a terrible example of really Bad things that can be done But it was just another event in a long string of events on Wednesday A 20 year old was shot and killed in south Philadelphia Unfortunately gun violence is just too much of an ordinary, but it didn't make the front page as as the Shooter did on Wednesday But it's too much of a part of our communities like Philadelphia Pittsburgh your my own small town We we have have suffered too much of this The point is that man in Philadelphia Had enough ammunition and weapons to hold dozens of Philadelphia police officers at bay for almost eight hours Why was that? Why would anyone need that? What's more countless acts of gun violence occurred across the commonwealth as I said On the same day a 20 year old was shot and killed in south Philadelphia We need to do something to stop gun violence all across pennsylvania Too many pennsylvania's have died from gun violence Too many have lost loved ones to gun violence Too many live every day in fear of being shot on the sidewalk in their neighborhood In a grocery store at school or at a concert We need to protect all of our lives everywhere in pennsylvania Last week I stood in the rotenda and I called for action We need to fix our weak gun laws in pennsylvania and pass reforms focused on increasing safety and reducing danger to our citizens But within with each day that passes alarming numbers of pennsylvania's are losing their lives to gun violence Because every day We delay in doing this It's another day where we lose the right to live our lives free of fear that is Surrounding our lack of action So the executive order i'm signing is not an impulsive decision made in the wake of the recent mass shootings Rather, it's the result of months of work by my administration working with partners To find real tangible solutions that focus on reducing gun violence On reducing the number of people killed and terrorized by guns in our commonwealth The second amendment does not supersede the inalienable right we all have to life liberty and the pursuit of happiness Every human being every pennsylvania is endowed with these rights And it's my duty and it's all of our duty to protect them for every pennsylvania That's what this executive order is all about i'm starting by announcing charles ramsey and i ask You today whether you like to be called commissioner mr. Chairman and he said charles So charles ramsey who's the current chair of the pennsylvania commission on crime and delinquency But as you know, he was also the former commissioner police commissioner in philadelphia He's going to be my new special advisor charged with coordinating and leading our gun reform effort This executive order also establishes the office of gun violence prevention within the pennsylvania commission on crime And delinquency and the division of violence prevention within the department of health These two new offices will work together to tackle gun violence from both the gun safety and a public health perspective Today or together they will target three key areas of gun violence First community gun violence second mass shootings third domestic gun violence and suicides Let me start with the first one Community gun violence is going to be addressed through increased training for state and municipal police and data sharing Data sharing which will help us identify trends and create tailored solutions to each community's needs We will work on prevention tactics like increasing school emotional social and behavioral supports And bolstering evidence-based juvenile justice programs And we'll support and expand municipal gun buyback programs through the pennsylvania state police To reduce the number of unwanted guns in our communities second We will deal with mass shootings by holding more active shooter training for state and municipal police and state agencies We will also use prevention tactics by working with pennsylvania state police again to put a greater focus on domestic terrorism And a see something send something campaign encouraging people to report suspicious Suspicions or a potential mass shootings by text message I'm also enrolling pennsylvania in the states for gun safety coalition Which is a multi-state partnership that shares information and conducts research to combat gun violence Finally, we will tackle gun domestic violence and suicides I'm directing the suicide prevention task force to make immediate recommendations on steps to reduce suicides by gun Their work will be supplemented by data collected by a new suicide death review team within our department of health The ultimate outcome of this is to determine what we can do as a commonwealth to decrease deaths by suicide Our agencies will build on mental health stigma campaigns to encourage pennsylvania's to seek treatment Most people with mental illness are not violent But for those individuals who are struggling with mental illness and show an increased risk of violence early identification Early intervention and evidence-based mental health treatments are key We will also build up the student assistance program a critical program that allows Educators who work with students every day to make mental health referrals The office of gun violence prevention will also be charged with coordinating a system of focused police deterrence in neighborhoods and cities Where violence is most extreme This executive order also establishes the special counsel on gun violence within the pennsylvania commission on crime and delinquency This council will meet within 60 days of the signing of this executive order and will make recommendations To the special advisor and the pccd on ways to reduce incidents of gun violence in pennsylvania It will be comprised of agency secretaries Designed needs from each of the pccd's existing subcommittees and members of the general assembly We will rely on them to include gun owners victims of gun related violence criminal justice experts and health care practitioners in the discussion around practical recommendations to enhance this executive order To better understand the scope of gun violence including contributing factors We'll be establishing a violence data dashboard similar to the opioid data dashboard We'll partner with state universities to research the cause and consequences Of gun violence and identify trends to help us better predict and prevent gun violence from happening anywhere in pennsylvania And i will be directing every state department to engage in an effort to combat the systemic causes of violence Including poverty hopelessness a lack of economic opportunities mental and behavioral health supports All of the actions i'm taking today strike a balance between freedom and safety Finally i cannot work alone in this endeavor And i'm asking for the support of the general assembly to make the legislative changes necessary to protect the lives of all pennsylvania's First i will seek legislation to mandate the reporting of lost or stolen guns So that we can cut down on the number of illegal gun sales and keep guns out of the hands of known criminals Like the philadelphia shooter Second i'm asking for the general assembly to pursue safe safe storage legislation So people who are in danger of harming themselves or others Cannot gain access in an easy way to guns Third i will continue to push for the swift passage of the extreme risk protection order act That's also known as the red flag law And last i will forth i will continue to push for state level universal background checks on all Gun purchases and other common sense gun violence reduction legislation It's my honor and my duty to guide our commonwealth. I'm proud to be governor By making and finding the right middle ground here i think we can create the best pennsylvania We want a good pennsylvania for everybody one that recognizes the rights embedded in the second amendment But also one that recognize all of our rights to live free of fear The conversation of where this middle ground where this important middle ground lies is important It's long long overdue and i look forward to continuing this conversation with the legislature with the people of pennsylvania As we move into the start of the fall session Now it's my great pleasure to introduce commissioner chairman Charles ramsey who who unfortunately is going to have to leave right after he speaks But i really appreciate you're doing what you're doing. Thank you for stepping up Thank you very much governor. It's really an honor to serve On such a vital important issue as dealing with gun violence And also i want to thank you for coming up with this strategy which i believe is unprecedented state level To address this issue not just as a law enforcement or criminal justice issue, but as a public health issue as well And i promise we will meet all the deadlines and give you something that is actionable that can Really improve the quality of safety and security throughout the commonwealth, you know This whole issue of mass shootings is normally what gets national attention Whether it's el Paso or Dayton or pittsburgh It's incidents like that where the national media comes out and for a day or two They'll spend time actually talking about gun violence in america But the reality is mass shootings take place every day on the streets of our city It's across the entire country One person Two people here three over there All life has value You don't have to lose it in large quantities before we start to pay attention to something That is as pressing an issue as gun violence in our communities Suicide More people died by suicide than any other means. What about children? I can't tell you how many scenes i've gone to have been in A active member of law enforcement 47 years Where a young child finds a gun in a home? And accidentally pulls the trigger and shoots a sibling or shoots themselves tragic Something has to be done to reduce gun violence whether it's by criminals whether it's accidental Whether it's suicide whatever it is we need to do everything we can to protect Our people here and governor i just want to thank you For taking this step to do it at the state level because if we wait around for the federal government to do it It's not going to happen anytime soon and so doing it here pennsylvania We can be the model for the rest of the country and we will be the model for the rest of the country So again, thank you very much for this opportunity We will not let you down and thank all of you gather here today for all the work That you've done in the past and all that you're about to do in the future. So thank you And now it's my great pleasure to introduce someone who I've had the pleasure of working with For I guess 10 years now, and that's our great senator anthony williams. Thank you Let me thank A few folks before I make some comments one. I want to thank the leader of my caucus jay costa who in june Allowed me to circulate a letter on behalf of our democratic caucus to send to the governor Um, announcing that philadelphia was in an epidemic situation with regard to the level of gun violence um, and he As the leader of our caucus did not have to do that and so i want to thank him first city cashman and mike brunel. I don't know where they are, but I want to thank you publicly for on behalf of The commonwealth on behalf of philadelphia on behalf of me Who have spent countless hours? texts yelling and screaming And you all acted with dignity and frankly came up with a plan that is extraordinary I mean extraordinary and so i want to thank them and least Last but not least Our governor And I will tell you i'm going to try to make through my comments, but this is emotional It's emotional for me This governor has done something that no other elected official in this country has ever done No president no governor no mayor Has ever taken the politics out of whether you have a right to have a gun or not and recognize the dignity of human beings is first and most important And because of that, let us thank this man Let us thank him right now for his work Yesterday a number of elected officials gathered in philadelphia. They should have To comment and demand changes on long-awaited Rules regarding our guns Today we gather rather than Waiting and reacting we are acting for the first time on behalf of a nation And most importantly on behalf of a very very scared public On average there is a human being who's murdered every single day in pennsylvania by a gun These people reside across pennsylvania And I will also tell you that unfortunately the five officers or six officers who were shot in that neighborhood Literally the next day Five more people were shot And to the commissioner's point This is a long-standing crisis That is not going to be recognized by the national press and frankly not many people at all We stood there at a conference talking about the five officers But those five people who were murdered or in our shot the same day in the same neighborhood Didn't hit the today's show The morning shows or any national press But they're still human beings They're not drug dealers They're not criminals They're grandmothers. There's parents. There's children. We're being murdered every day in pennsylvania Philadelphia eerie harrisburg york butler county clearfield county have all suffered this epidemic of gun violence either through suicides domestic violence Community carnage like we see in philadelphia This is a stain on humanity and the fault line Is that what we were required to do constitutionally? to protect citizens american citizens foreign And domestically We have failed We've allowed our perspective on a inanimate object to be the focus of our attention a gun As to as opposed to the human beings that are being sacrificed at the altar of politics Understand that This message is not about taking your gun. This is about preserving a life This is not a democrat. No republican perspective. This is not an urban nor a royal perspective. This is not a black or white This is about death Death in a country that is the greatest country in the world That we irresponsibly have not acted upon this plan Talks about all the complex levels That one must engage in if they truly are to reduce this level of gun violence in america Understand something there will be those who will react to this press conference and will suggest that what can you do about well The same thing you could do about reducing gun violence is the same billions of dollars we spent on cancer billions of dollars on cancer Billions of dollars on getting to the moon Nothing without a guarantee but a commitment to the dignity and human experience on this earth That's what this plan represents It is layered in in very sophisticated ways. It touches the bond one's mental health One's desires one's angers policing human services and community engagement But most importantly, I want people in my neighborhood to understand tonight tonight You have a governor and a government Which has heard you and is responding And is putting one of the most experienced Sage wise people in charge charles ramsey To guide us on this grand experiment I cannot tell you how grateful we are that charles ramsey has decided to come out of retirement again for the 99th time Okay To guide us on this experience, but I could not be any more impressed with the person that the governor has chosen I will close with this It is my hope and my prayer That I one day can stand at a microphone before I retire To say that we've done some effective work In this measurement of reducing gun violence in america and pennsylvania and certainly in philadelphia But as long as this work remains As long as this crisis exists All of us will remain vigilant We will return to the general assembly to have those debates over what we do with guns But most importantly today for the first time in the nation A single soul stood up for the true integrity of life A man that I will always be grateful for my governor tom wolf I want to thank him and his staff again for their work My partner in the senate Who'll be fighting these battles of a gun reform legislation that we will all be acting upon A true leader in the greatest sense of the word and it was allowed me to pen paper Pen to paper when it came to those claims and concerns my friend senator j costa Thank you very much senator Williams, and I truly appreciate those very kind comments And it's certainly been a pleasure for me to stand with you and our caucus As you take on the leadership role as it relates to how we address this very important issue So thank you for your work that you're doing and your consistent commitment to do them better making certain that we do better collectively Governor wolf, thank you for standing up and doing what needs to be done Folks, let's be clear There's never been and probably won't be for a long time a more meaningful more significant Executive order penned by any governor in this country than what we're seeing today Let's be clear The governor and his team And I want to thank commissioner ramsey for stepping forward to be able to implement what needs to be done in the various programs We're talking about but when you think about the very thoughtful comprehensive approach That the governor's taking to try to address this really important issue of gun violence in our commonwealth I applaud him and I applaud his folks for the work that they're doing But more importantly what's going to happen as we go forward to implement this It will need the support of so many folks in our community It'll need to support certainly of the agencies who will be responsible for administering some of the programs that we talked about It'll be important for our legislative body to work and provide the resources not just this year But as we go forward to make certain that they're able to implement the programs that you're talking about to continue to allow us to remain safe It's going to be important as I look at and I see mom's Demand action and I think about ceasefire and all the organizations that have been working very closely With us to be able to try to make certain that we raise the awareness How important it is for us to address gun violence and address some of the things that the governor's talking about It's certainly about gun violence in our community and as senator williams talked about my home community city of pittsburgh We certainly suffered with our tragedies that were very high profile But we also recognize day after day after day when I look at the post gazette Or I look at the tribune review newspaper when I wake up in the morning and one of the headlines One of the stories that came from the night before some person was shot somewhere in our region It happens every day. It happens throughout this commonwealth in our country This governor this executive order are going to take steps to address that so I thank them For being able to do that But it's also about many other areas senator williams talked about and the commissioner talked about suicide When you think about two-thirds of suicides in this commonwealth in this country are done with guns Access to these weapons are extremely important to be able to reduce that as much as possible The investments that we're going to make in mental health community mental health making certain that we're able to address and talk to folks And have the idea of what's taking place in our neighborhoods in our community And the data that that will be coming from that type of interaction with people in our neighborhoods in our community Is so extremely important to allow us to implement the things that commissioner ramsey will be working on That's what this is about And then the legislative side while we've not taken the steps that we should have We're going to continue to fight on our senate floors We do every time we get there and we talk about what steps we can take as the legislative body To supplement or to complement the work that the governor and this executive order will do Extreme risk orders and some of the things that I think Three-fourths of the general public recognizes we should be doing We should take the time to be able to enact these things that are really supportive by the public Democrat republicans urban rural doesn't matter but things like extreme risk orders The governor talked about gun buyback programs. We talked about safe storage legislation We've talked about universal background checks Those are the some of the things that we need to be talking about in the legislature and I call upon my colleagues As so many others have have done over the course of the past several weeks to stand up Step forward allow us to have a conversation and that definition about some of these issues and how we move forward If you don't want to stand up and do it let those of us who want to work along with the folks Who are here today who i'm so very proud to stand with let us take the lead Let us address these issues. Let's get to work and get things done governor Thank you for being such a thoughtful way in which you're addressing this and it's going to be a model for the rest of the country Thank you It's my honor to introduce someone who's working in the senate and while working in the house Who's been an outstanding job is the house whip house democratic whip representative from philadelphia jordan harris let me First thank governor wolf for his action On this today. This is not a first step Governor i remember i think it was almost two years ago now When we walked in southwest philadelphia and i showed you what far too many philadelphians know And that's the candles and the teddy bears that Are makeshift memorials to the lives that are lost in my city See in philadelphia When someone loses their life the community comes together and they put teddy bears and they put candles and Handwritten notes to memorialize the life that was lost there We went there about two years ago and then we sat and we talked with Family members that had lost their loved ones to gun violence. We talked to the doctors In the er who are charged daily with trying to save these lives. We talked to the morticians Who have to comfort the family we talked to the clergymen Who have to try to stand and give a word? When someone tragically loses their life, we then started the gun violence reduction initiative a grant program throughout the state To go to municipalities to help them Lower the gun violence that they see in their cities So i thank you governor not just for today, but for all of the work That you've been doing and that we've been doing to address this issue But the fact is clear that gun violence is still One of the most prevalent issues in our country In the city of philadelphia We are in a public health crisis. We are under attack when it comes to gun violence Just this year so far our homicide rate is up by four percent data has shown us that through July over the last five years, we've had six thousand and nine hundred two people shot in the city philadelphia You know the definition of mass shootings according to the gun violence archives is when four or more people are shot in one incidence well in my city Just this year in my city We've had eight mass shootings eight mass shootings in philadelphia Four people were shot outside of a takeout restaurant along south 31st street in south philadelphia in my district Several blocks from where I live four people were shot Five people were shot walking down the street in north philadelphia on may tiff on the weekend On a weekend there were 28 people shot in 19 different incidents of gun violence in philadelphia Six were shot in one incident with one fatally shot at a graduation party in southwest philadelphia a graduation party Four people were shot at the intersection Just a few blocks away from my home seven people were shot at a cookout In the overbrook section on july 13th six people were shot one fatally In elmwood as they gathered to shoot a music video on july 28th And yes, we know about the national headlines about what happened to our police officers And we stand with those brave men and women Who work every single day to protect our city? We stand with them But just 24 hours later there were five people shot Only two miles away from that incident No news camera No no no national Stories picked up that shooting Or any of the other ones So today the first thing I want to say is to all of the people in philadelphia and erie and harrisburg and york And in pittsburgh across this commonwealth. We see you We see your pain Your body your life Is just as valuable as anyone else And we're standing here with you and for you you're not invisible and your life doesn't matter To all of the mothers And fathers who had to bury their children We see you Your life matters And we value you as well now listen If we put up losses stolen if we put up Background checks if we put up an assault band. I will be the first to run to the floor and cast a yes vote But here's one thing that I will not do We cannot abdicate our responsibility to govern We cannot abdicate our responsibility to stand up to use our voice but to also use our action just because we don't have All of the gun laws that we want because we have some of those laws And the truth of the matter is in my city in those mass shootings It wasn't an automatic weapon that shot those folks. It was the handguns That we see far too many of in the city of philadelphia So I will not abdicate the responsibility that we have to govern today and to protect all of the citizens of philadelphia and all across this commonwealth you know, I was I was I was I was talking on social media to some of my folks and one of the young men said One of the incidents that happened yesterday Wasn't that big of a deal The people were just in the wrong place at the wrong time And far too often we hear that Oh, we're sorry. What happened. They were just at the wrong place the wrong time Well, the truth of the matter is if you live in the city of philadelphia Any place any time could be the wrong place in the wrong time and that must change This is not a this is this ain't democrat or republican Let me be clear. I don't care what your political party is I live in a city where mothers send their kids to school not knowing if they'll come home at night I live in a city where you can't even sit on your porch safely Without ducking and dodging bullets A few years ago. There was a mother sitting on the porch Braiding her baby's hair Gunshots rang out and a three-year-old was shot and killed While her mother was braiding her hair On their porch I don't care what political party you are a part of I don't care what religious faith you are a part of There has to be something in the moral fiber of all of us That says the blood that is being shattered and and the blood that is being shed all over this commonwealth is enough And that we have to do something Something to address the pain and the carnage that far too many of our citizens are feeling So governor, I appreciate and thank you for not just today But for all of the stuff that we've done and I apologize because this ain't You know the political speech like I gotta go home. I have to go home to a place Where my life is not safe And it's far too many pennsylvania is doing that on a daily basis Whatever it takes whatever we have to do Wherever we will have to go I will go I will take any and everyone that wants to go because this must stop It must end. There are far too many victims There are far too many people who have lost their life to gun violence in the commonwealth of pennsylvania Time is out for the talk We have to do action and we have to do it now And I'm so thankful that it starts with our governor and all of you who have been working on this issue God bless you. Thank you Representative uh, dan frankle from uh, alganica Thank you. Thank you, jordan and thank you to my colleagues. Uh, I think I think you get a sense Of the depth of importance to this How this issue resonates with my colleagues, uh, and that's a reflection of how it resonates With our constituents in the people pennsylvania I want to thank my colleagues who are here today who have been champions on this issue And I want to single out one one particular person our newest member of the pennsylvania democratic caucus Moveda johnson harrell who is Co-chair of the pa safe caucus a group of legislators Many of whom are here today who are working on a gun safety agenda and she knows personally From her own experience With her family What what this issue means and how it's impacted her and her community? And I think you've heard that from everybody my community Jay costas community experienced A tragedy of enormous proportions in one of those mass shootings That we experienced Back on october 27th 2018 10 months ago Coming up to that anniversary And I will tell you that when I go to speak to my constituents When I go to speak around the state Between what took place in pittsburgh what takes place daily on our streets the mass shootings in allentown in philadelphia What took place yesterday In philadelphia with our police officers The one thing I hear consistently is what are you going to do about it? What are you our elected officials going to do about it? The people of pennsylvania are begging us to do something to protect them from gun violence and today Governor wolf answered that call. Thank you, governor By collaborating between government agencies Collecting and analyzing data and launching public education campaigns This administration is addressing gun violence as an emergency level public health crisis With these executive orders Our governor is marshaling every possible administrative tool to reduce our shameful levels of death and injury Due to gun violence and I want to make sure that people understand that In our cities which experiences every day. We also have this in rural areas The rates of gun death In our rural areas are exactly the same as they are in urban areas They're just from different different reasons in our rural areas. It's from suicide So we have an interest across this this is by this should be bipartisan It is not about urban versus rural. We are in this together I believe that these measures that the governor is proposing today While falling short of what I think we should be doing as a legislature will save lives But they do not take the place of the reforms that the general assembly has refused to take up We currently have about two dozen reasonable common sense Reform bills languishing in the house without so much as a committee hearing There's so much more the pennsylvania legislature can do to prevent tragedies We could make it possible to temporarily remove guns from the grass of people in crisis We could make background checks truly universal or we could simply allow municipalities To do to decide what gun laws are right for their communities and I should also Mention when you take a look at what took place in Dayton in particular In a in a matter of less than 60 seconds Nine people were murdered 27 people were seriously injured because of high powered assault style weapons with With large magazines We need to do something about it when you look at the injuries That took place the the when you read about the injuries of those individuals who were wounded in Dayton Or were wounded in Pittsburgh or wounded other places the devastation caused by these High powered weapons is unbelievable and it is a public health crisis. We need to do something about it But the these are just a few of the bills that would help the state of pennsylvania better protect its residents and while these allow We still would allow law-abiding individuals to be basically own Reasonable firearms and I want to say that as we take a look at this agenda That goes beyond What the governor is able to do today to the aspirational issues that we talk about in terms of a legislative agenda Some people say that it's unrealistic I got to tell you what there are people here today in this room who knows what can be done with powerful advocacy We got a piece of legislation done a meaningful piece of legislation in the last session of the legislature That takes firearms out of the hands of people who are subject to Protection from abuse order that piece of legislation will save Hundreds of lives in pennsylvania and it is a tribute to the level of advocacy By the folks for mom's demand action and ceasefire pa. They showed us the roadmap. We can get this done It is possible to do things in pennsylvania legislatively. They showed us how to do it But We still today have that agenda in front of us, but today governor tom wolf Took important steps for a safer world I'm so grateful to him to be able to take the steps that he has within his power And to help us and to encourage us in the legislature to take it to the next step Tomorrow let us carry this inspiration forward and ask the question again. What are we doing to reduce gun violence? Thank you. Governor wilson So I am going to sign the executive order. Then I'll come back and all of us will take questions from the podium