Public Policy Statement

Consistent with our mission to prevent and eliminate violence in society, NOVA supports legislation, public policies and education efforts that promote gun safety, and reduce the incidence of gun related homicides, injuries, suicides and accidental deaths.

Revised Statement adopted by the NOVA Board of Directors, November 15, 2016

Background: In the aftermath of Sandy Hook and other mass shootings in 2012, the issue of gun violence was once again in the spotlight in Pennsylvania and across the country. The Pennsylvania Senate passed Resolution 6, which established a Task Force on the Prevention of Violence and in December 2013 a report was issued identifying many recommendations, including those related to guns and gun ownership. The NOVA Public Affairs Committee explored recommendations that aligned with NOVA’s mission. Since 2015, NOVA has identified a number of critical areas where pending legislation and public policies may help to reduce the effects of gun violence. With countless mass shootings in Oregon, San Bernardino, Charleston, Orlando, Pittsburgh and Thousand Oaks, as well as reports of gun-related homicides and accidental shootings of children in Pennsylvania, it is with greater urgency that we are required to act. The NOVA Board of Directors has charged the board’s Public Affairs Committee to review and strengthen the organization’s policy statement on Violence and Firearms Safety. Going forward, through the work of the Public Affairs Committee, NOVA will advocate to enact legislation, educate the community and explore other legislative and policy options in an effort to prevent and eliminate violence in society.

Pending Legislative Initiatives and Public Policy Considerations on Violence and Firearms Safety and Regulation

• Child Access Prevention – aimed at protecting children from accidental death or injury by requiring gun owners to lock weapons when a child is present in the home
• Require reporting of lost and stolen guns
• Strengthen protections for victims of domestic violence in protection from abuse orders by requiring abusers to turn in their guns within 24 hours, thereby eliminating the third-party safekeeping provision and ensuring that surrender is made to the sheriff’s office
• Require background checks for the purchase of long guns from private sellers
• Prohibit juveniles who commit a crime with a gun from buying a gun as an adult
• Prohibit persons with involuntary mental health commitments from purchasing a firearm through prompt reporting to National Firearms Background Check System (NICS).