While the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention has closed, Pennsylvania’s efforts to reduce gun violence remain strong. The Pennsylvania Office of Gun Violence Prevention (OGVP), operating under the state’s Commission on Crime and Delinquency, continues to fund community-based programs that are showing real results. Since 2022, gun homicides in the state have dropped by 16 percent, including a striking 52 percent decrease in Philadelphia alone.
These programs focus on prevention and intervention at the local level. Volunteers work with individuals and groups at high risk of violence, offering support through one-on-one conversations, group meetings, and referrals to community services. Law enforcement, meanwhile, prioritizes targeting violent actors while deprioritizing minor offenses. Victims and their families are provided with legal assistance. The effort is supported by Violence Intervention and Prevention (VIP) grants, which Ceasefire PA and Gettysburg for Gun Sense are urging lawmakers to expand in the 2025–26 state budget.
Support has come from many corners, including representatives from the Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers. They joined a summit with over 500 gun violence prevention experts in Pennsylvania—including public health officials, law enforcement, elected leaders, survivors, and advocates—to strategize on reducing violence.
Gettysburg for Gun Sense will travel to Harrisburg on April 8 to advocate for continued funding. Community members are encouraged to contact their state representatives and support these lifesaving initiatives.
Gun safety also extends beyond public spaces and into homes and online. Retired United Methodist Pastor Judy Young, a member of Gettysburg for Gun Sense, shared a modern twist on the familiar “Stop, Drop, and Roll” message. Once used to teach fire safety, the phrase now applies to digital safety as well. Young people—particularly teenage boys—are increasingly targeted by online “sextortion” scams, and older adults often face financial fraud. These attacks have, in some cases, led to tragic gun suicides.
Pastor Ryan Gephart, responding to the suicide of a young man targeted online, urges victims to stop reading abusive messages, drop their devices, and roll—turn—to a trusted adult. “We all need to help each other realize we don’t have to be victimized,” Young said. “Stop, Drop, and Roll, folks.”
Judy Young is a retired United Methodist pastor. She convenes Gettysburg for
Gun Sense and the Adams County branch of the PA Prison Society, and is a
member of the Green Gettysburg Book Club.
Thank you for sharing. It’s nice to hear about a solution that is making good progress on something we all should abhor (gun deaths)!