HARRISBURG, Pa. - A group of East Coast states will now let law enforcement agencies share gun crime data.
The effort is intended to help police investigate gun crimes and target firearm trafficking.
The Democratic governors of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and Connecticut said they want to stop gun trafficking across state lines, citing a rise in gun violence in the region during the pandemic.
Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York, called the move “transformative.”
“I believe this is going to give us, and our law enforcement entities in each of our states, the tools we need to be able to trace guns that are coming in from other states,” she said,
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf said gun violence was on the rise during the pandemic.
“Data shows that in 2020 gun violence, and I’m talking about Pennsylvania here, was up across the board all across the state,” he said.
Homicides, Wolf said, went up nearly 50% during the last year.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, said this effort is intended to combat interstate gun trafficking especially from the south.
“Our region remains the final destination for guns flowing from the south, especially along the iron pipeline. Fully 25% of trace crime guns come from just three states: Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, where weak gun laws are ripe for exploitation,” said Murphy.
The governors say the move will help track the history of gun ownership including the first buyers and sellers of guns involved in criminal investigations.
