The State Senate voted 24-16 on Monday to pass a bill, SB487, aimed at addressing the ever-increasing public health epidemic of gun violence in the Commonwealth.
This bill, patroned by Sen. Jennifer McClellan (D-Richmond), would establish the first Virginia Center for Firearm Violence Intervention and Prevention at the Department of Criminal Justice Services. The bill now moves to the House of Delegates for consideration.
“It’s time the Commonwealth addresses the root causes of gun violence,” Coalition to Stop Gun Violence Virginia State Director Lori Haas said, “Today, members of the Virginia Senate showed their commitment to protecting their constituents from the deadly gun violence epidemic that has plagued this state for too many years.”
The Virginia Center for Firearm Violence Intervention and Prevention would administer grants to local government agencies, community-based organizations and hospitals to support implementation of evidence-based gun violence intervention and prevention programs. Different examples of implementation include street outreach, hospital-based violence intervention and group violence intervention programs.
The Center would also focus on research, data collection, information sharing among state agencies and stakeholders, evaluations of current programs, transparent reports, training of public safety officials and support of locality efforts.
“CSGV applauds Virginia senators who listened to their constituents and advanced this bill, bringing us one step closer to creating a safer, more secure Commonwealth with more effective gun violence prevention programs and services, especially in Black and Brown communities disproportionately affected by gun violence,” Haas said. “We will continue to work with legislators and our partners across Virginia to advance this bill through both chambers and eventually to Gov. Younkin’s desk to be signed into law.”
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