A virtual meeting occurred with state Sen. Christine M. Tartaglione (D-2nd dist.), chief of staff Kathy Benton, legislative director Nathan McClellan and activist Alim Howell in regard to crime and gun violence prevention in Philadelphia.
“If both sides of the political parties of Republicans and Democrats can agree on laws to abolish gun violence, then less of the gun incidents would be happening. Also having a better economy standpoint would help make some situations turn around for betterment of society,” Benton said.
“It all comes down to having all the levels of government involved and passing bills to make sure the gun violence crime stats go down lower. Every resident having a fair chance would be better for the economy systematically and go towards not having a lot of crimes,” McClellan said.
“What upsets me is having the shootings happen in our schools. Gun violence-related school shootings are not common but having shootings among our children is a real issue. Gun laws need to be created and passed by our Republican side representatives. A lot of them are in agreement with the Second Amendment right. If both sides don’t agree on anything, then that’s the reason why certain laws will not be passed in the House majority seats,” Tartaglione said.
The senator, who is the minority-party whip, believes it is crucial that people unite in solidarity to advocate for the enactment of sensible and comprehensive gun control measures to curb the violence.
“In a lot of political meetings I have, the focus has been on having more funding for gun violence-prevention programs. The more funding that is available for the programs, the more likely crime and gun violence will decrease at the lowest rate. Funding for gun violence prevention can support programs aimed at reducing violence and improving community safety, including community violence intervention programs, gun violence research, mental health support, and strengthen partnerships between law enforcement,” Howell said.To contact Tartaglione’s office, visit senatortartaglione.com. ••
