The governors of Connecticut, New York, New Jersey and Rhode Island have announced plans to create a regional task force, called “States for Gun Safety,” in order to combat gun violence.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says the states were forced to take action.
“We’re not waiting for federal action. All of our states are already ahead of the federal government when it comes to laws on this issue. The Florida Parkland massacre, one would hope that it would spur responsible federal action. Let's do something real, and let's make a difference. This has been handled by countries across the globe. We can handle it, if we want to, if we have the political courage and the political will to do it. It’s that simple, but it’s that difficult.”
Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy agreed with Cuomo that the states can’t wait for the federal government to act.
“Let’s work across our borders, let’s not just advocate for better laws in our own states, but better laws in our region. Let’s not just try to make our own borders as safe as possible, but let’s make our region as safe as possible.”
The group will create the nation’s first Regional Gun Violence Research Consortium to study the causes and effects of gun violence.
They say they also want to intercept illegal guns along the I-95 corridor.
The governors are planning to ask other governors to join with them at the National Governors Association meeting this weekend.
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