YORK COUNTY, Pa. — Fifteen-point-seven million dollars from the American Rescue Plan is headed to the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency's Gun Violence and Intervention Program.
"The sharp increase in gun deaths we've seen in recent months has been driven largely by an increase in gun homicides,” said Gov. Tom Wolf.
In 2020, the number of homicides in the state increased by 49%.
According to Gov. Wolf, Pittsburgh, York and Philadelphia are three of the major cities in the state where gun violence in increasing.
“Gun violence just like so many systemic inequalities disproportionately harms communities of color,” he said.
In the past two years, the Wolf administration has dedicated $38 million to gun violence prevention and reduction grants.
However, the governor said more needs to be done. This includes investing equally into education, fair wages and resources for disadvantaged communities.
“These investments are not enough,” Gov. Wolf said. “That's why I’m calling on republican leaders in the general assembly to step up and take action to help this work get even further."
Additional funding for this program will be announced in March.