 John, after a string of mass shootings — most recently this weekend in Philadelphia — one thing is clear: the status quo isn’t working. We must have the courage to end the partisan gridlock to save lives in Pennsylvania. The Shapiro-Davis Administration will bring legislators from both parties together to invest in mental health, putting a mental health counselor in every school building. We can’t address gun violence if we don’t invest in mental health, especially in our schools. Josh Shapiro and I will also be focused on closing the ghost gun loophole, which fuels violence in communities. Below is my op-ed for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Nearly 17 years ago, a man was shot at the end of my family’s block, no more than 50 feet from our home. While my family and I were at home, the growing gun violence epidemic in McKeesport came to our doorstep. The shooting shook my mother and father — who did their very best to shelter my sister and I and keep us on a straight and narrow path — but it also inspired me to attend the next city council meeting, to see what the city planned to do to address a crisis that had now become all too real for my family. What I heard at that meeting opened my eyes. There was little mention of the incident, no solutions, and as a 15-year-old Black teenager, who was the son of a hairdresser and a union bus driver, I did not see a single member of the council who looked like myself or my family. I left that meeting determined to change that. I started a youth gun violence prevention program at my high school, and after graduating from the University of Pittsburgh, I returned to McKeesport to work for the Allegheny County Executive and start the violence prevention office within the Allegheny Department of Health. Looking back, that shooting put me on a path of public service and inspired me to improve my community and combat the senseless violence that takes the lives of far too many of our sons and daughters, mothers and fathers. But nearly two decades later, Pennsylvania — and our country — continues to suffer from the scourge of gun violence. Less than two weeks ago, we saw 19 children and two teachers killed at an elementary school in Texas. When I heard the news reports it broke my heart. As the most powerful nation on the face of the earth, how are we still unable to protect our kids at school? Just this weekend, three people were killed and 11 others were shot in Philadelphia as they enjoyed their Saturday night. How many more people must be shot before we take real action? While more details will come to light in the coming days and weeks, one thing is abundantly clear: these atrocities are far too frequent, and the status quo is unacceptable. Here in Pennsylvania we cannot allow this to become another headline that fades into the background with little action. The time for meaningful common-sense solutions is long past due, and that is why my running mate — the Democratic nominee for Governor, Attorney General Josh Shapiro — and I have put forward a plan to tackle this issue head on in the Commonwealth. Josh and I will make our communities safer by closing the ghost gun loophole, enacting universal background checks, and passing stronger red flag laws here in Pennsylvania. We will bring legislators — from both parties — together to invest in mental health by putting a mental health counselor in every school building in the Commonwealth and giving our law enforcement more resources and training so they are prepared to deal with mental health crises. And we will invest in prevention by funding the Office of Gun Violence Prevention and taking on the systemic issues that lead to violence like poverty, lack of opportunity, and trauma. These are solutions that we should all be able to get behind, and they will save lives. It’s now on our leaders to act. Austin Davis
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