Philadelphia House Delegation Reacts to GA School Shooting
Says PA legislature must act responsibly on commonsense protections
Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta September 5, 2024 | 4:30 PM
PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 5 – Members of the Philadelphia House Delegation today expressed their sympathies for families of the four victims in the recent school shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, GA. A 14-year-old student has been arrested in the mass shooting which left two students and two teachers dead, with nine others injured. This is the nation’s 30th mass shooting in 2024.
Delegation Chairwoman Rep. Morgan Cephas, D-Phila, expressed her grief over the terrible loss in a place that is supposed to be a safe area for young people. “As we mourn the lives tragically lost and the lives forever affected by yet another mass shooting in a school, I am hopeful that we can refocus our efforts in Pennsylvania and across the U.S. to reform our state and federal gun laws. While we do not yet have all of the details, today we learned that mental health issues were identified with the shooter more than a year ago, so efforts like red flag laws and greater availability of mental health screenings and counselors in schools are once again in the spotlight as commonsense reforms that could prevent similar tragedies in Pennsylvania.
“We, as a delegation, restate emphatically that there is absolutely no need for assault-style rifles to be available to any member of the public. These are war machines built for doing exactly what this one did – kill and injure as many people as possible and as quickly as possible. This is not an element of a rational society and should not be on our streets nor communities, and especially not in our schools. As the unimaginable sight of assault-style weapons in a school becomes a very imaginable reality for students, we must act responsibly to protect our children and those tasked with their learning and care.”
“The moments of terror and destruction this country and our communities have endured over the past several years at the hands of gun violence is unconscionable, especially when they happen in places that should be safe spaces for our children,” said Delegation Vice Chairman Rep. Danilo Burgos, D-Phila. “The Pennsylvania legislature continues to sit on its hands while these triggers are being pulled. I join my delegation in calling on the Senate to act on the gun safety legislation passed by the House and call on all levels of government to get serious about saving our children and our communities from the scourge of mass shootings and gun violence.”
Delegation Treasurer Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, D-Phila., expressed his disappointment in the lack of urgency by the state Senate, despite progress in the House. “We've had success in the House moving concerns in a bipartisan way, like my bill with Rep. Cephas to end ghost guns, only to be stymied by the state Senate at nearly every turn. This tragedy was in Georgia, but it could have just as easily been in any of our communities here in PA. We must act prudently and with intention to end this senselessness of gun violence and protect our families, friends and neighbors.”
Members of the Philadelphia House Delegation have sponsored numerous pieces of legislation aimed at reducing gun violence and reforming Pennsylvania gun laws. Several have been approved and await consideration by the state Senate.