A message from the Executive Director

We're kicking off the new year in uncertain territory. We face unprecented threats from Washington, but in Pennsylvania, good news abounds. We held onto our gun safety majority in the PA House, and, according to our analysis, deaths from gun homicides in our Commonwealth have hit record lows. Now is the time to stand together, and build the power we need to #EndGunViolence. We have so many exciting events coming up; I hope you read this with your calendar open. I'm proud to stand with you, and our fabulous team, through days of heavy rain and bright sunshine. Click here to be our sunshine by making a special gift to build a life free from gun violence. 

– Adam

New Legislative Session

January begins a new legislative session, and with that comes fresh opportunities to pass life-saving legislation to #EndGunViolence in Pennsylvania. As a refresher, our narrow gun safety majority in the PA House of Representatives survived the November election, and remains a bright spot in uncertain times. But with so many issues on the line, it’s critical that we continue to hold them accountable, building an ever-stronger movement to end gun violence, and advocating for proven policies, including laws to enact Extreme Risk Protection Orders, require safe storage, implement universal background checks, and more.
We can’t do this without you – will you take a moment to demand your State Representative and Senator Nikil Saval put gun safety at the top of their agenda this session?

Upcoming Events 🎉

February Volunteer Meeting -- Valentine Edition

What’s more loving than ending gun violence in your community? Join us for our informative and fun Valentine-themed Virtual Volunteer Meeting on Tuesday, February 11th. Come meet your advocacy Valentines and learn all the ways you can plug into our major plans for this year. Register here to receive the Zoom link. 

Champ Events -- Pittsburgh

Event attendees gathered last night to enjoy good company, delicious food, and great conversations with “Gun Safety Champ” Rep. Jess Benham and friends. Staff members from local elected officials’ district offices, gun violence survivors, community partners, and fellow gun safety advocates shared calls to action to secure critical funding to sustain community violence intervention programming. 

Champ Events -- Delco

Delco, you're up next! Come one, come all to our Champ Event Celebrating Rep. Jenn O’Mara, Sen. Amanda Cappelletti, and other Delco Gun Safety Champions! Join us on Thursday February 13 at 5:30 p.m. at Off The Rail (109 W. State St., Media, PA 19063) for light refreshments and great conversation about our movement in Southeast PA! Registration is encouraged via this link.

Thank you, White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention

Unfortunately, the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention was dismantled by the Trump administration this week, depriving our nation of data and expertise to inform gun safety policies going forward. We had the honor of working with this office during President Biden’s tenure and we want to thank the dedicated professionals and passionate advocates who staffed it. A special thanks to Deputy Directors Rob Wilcox and Greg Jackson who partnered with us and the Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles on major gun safety summits this past fall. We wish you all the best! 

Gun Deaths from Homicide are Down in Pennsylvania 👏

This month, the Gun Violence Archive came out with new statistics of gun violence across the nation, and we crunched the PA numbers for you! According to our analysis, since 2022, there has been a 42 percent drop in total victims of gun violence (not including suicide), and a 38 percent drop in gun deaths by firearm homicide. Regional data revealed Philadelphia experienced a 52 percent decrease in gun homicides over two years, its lowest level in more than a decade. Allegheny County also saw a remarkable drop, reducing gun homicides by 30 percent over two years. These improvements are largely attributable to historic investments in community violence intervention programs made by Governor Shapiro in his 2024-2025 Budget. As a reminder, we do not apply for or accept these grants – they go directly to small organizations doing the work to #EndGunViolence in their communities. We hope the administration will keep funding these successful programs in their proposed budget, due out next week. 

Asking Governor Shapiro to be a Firewall for Community-led Gun Violence Prevention Groups

This week, you may have also seen the news of President Trump’s new memo to the Office of Management and Budget, attempting to freeze federal grant funds. At this time, the funding freeze has been temporarily blocked by a lower court judge, but the administration has made clear their intention to pursue the freeze, which includes funding for critical community-based violence intervention programs and suicide prevention programs. Financial uncertainty for these organizations could quickly dismantle the systems that have taken years to build. Interruptions in these services would undoubtedly lead to a backslide of progress and a return to higher levels of gun violence, as has been the case in Chicago when its community violence intervention programs did not receive sustained state funding. That’s why we’re calling on Governor Shapiro to act as a firewall, protecting our partners by fully funding the programs in his 2025-2026 budget, which he will release on Tuesday, February 4. If you haven’t already, please sign the petition.

A Giant, (Orange) Heartfelt Thank You 🧡

Finally, we want to thank you – our readers, activists, and supporters – for a fantastic 2024 capped off by a successful End of Year fundraising campaign throughout December. Because of you, we raised over $2 million in 2024, and $117,000 in December alone. It is your commitment to this work that keeps us funded and ready to fight for the safe, thriving Commonwealth we all deserve. From everyone on our team, we extend a huge, heartfelt thank you for being with us. 

Our donations are being immediately spent to fund our advocacy and events throughout 2025. Click here to rush a $5 donation to help fuel our movement this year.

CeaseFirePA
P.O. Box 60095
Philadelphia, PA 19102
United States

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