On
Feb. 22, Gov. Dan Malloy (D-CT) announced the formation of the new “States for
Gun Safety” coalition to combat gun violence.
Governors
from New York, New Jersey and Rhode Island joined the coalition initially, and
on Feb. 26, the coalition expanded to include Massachusetts, Delaware and
Puerto Rico.
The
multistate coalition will enter into a Memorandum
of Understanding to better share information through a
comprehensive, regional approach. The coalition will advance a multi-pronged
effort focused on enhancing interstate information sharing among law
enforcement and stopping the flow of out-of-state guns.
In
addition, each state member will designate an institution of higher education
to partner with the others and create the nation’s first Regional Gun Violence
Research Consortium made up of public health, social welfare, public policy and
criminal justice experts who will share and examine data to better inform
policymakers nationwide.
The
coalition plans to push the federal government to enact commonsense gun safety laws.
Specifically, the multistate coalition will call on the federal government to
swiftly enact universal background checks, an assault weapons ban and a federal
waiting period between the purchase and delivery of guns.