Delaware part of gun violence research consortium

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John Carney, joined  governors Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, NY;  Phil Murphy, NJ;  Dannel P. Malloy, CT;  Gina Raimondo, RI; Charlie Baker, MA  and Puerto Rico Gov.  Ricardo Rosselló  in founding the  Regional Gun Violence Research Consortium.

Maryland  Gov. Larry Hogan did not folow fellow Repubican governor Baker in joining the group. Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf and Pennsylvania are not part of the group, with New Jersey Gov. Murphy recently blaming the flow of guns from the Keystone State as a contributor to firearm-related violence in the state.

The consortium is an initiative of the  “States for Gun Safety” coalition.

The consortium brings researchers and “thought leaders” from partner states together to undertake significant  research on gun violence, data collection and analysis.

The  consortium fills the void left by the federal government’s 1996 ban on the use of federal funds to study gun violence, which  barred  the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health from studying the problem.

“Working together, states can and should directly confront the threat of gun violence. This new consortium will provide new information and research about gun violence to inform policy discussions at the state and federal levels,” said Carney. “Better information will help us enforce laws already on the books, intercept the flow of illegal weapons across state borders, and take additional action that will make a real difference. Delaware is proud to be a part of this coalition, and I thank my fellow Governors for their leadership on this issue.”

This month marks the anniversary ‎of two of our country’s most  largest mass shootings.

It was eleven years ago this week that 32 people lost their lives on the campus of Virginia Tech University, and 19 years ago, 13 people were killed at Columbine High school.

Named to the research consortium from Delaware  were:

  • Romain L. Alexander Policy Advisor, Office of Governor John Carney
  • Chris Kervick, Executive Director, State of Delaware Criminal Justice Council
  • Daniel J. O’Connell, Ph.D, Senior Scientist, Center for Drug and Health Studies, University of Delaware.