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WHEREAS, the Council of the City of Pittsburgh recognizes that our nation has endured far too many senseless tragedies from completely preventable gun violence; and
WHEREAS, this Council supports the call for substantive action and for an honest and comprehensive national discourse to engage our community leaders, fellow citizens, law enforcement officials, mental health professionals, families and educators, in an effort aimed at preventing more deaths from gun violence; and
WHEREAS, we somberly acknowledge that the number of deaths projected to occur over the next four years due to gun violence within our nation's borders will be over 48,000, a staggering and completely unacceptable number; and,
WHEREAS, the City of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County suffer tragic loss from gun violence each year, with many of the 85 area homicides so far in 2015 related to gun violence; and
WHEREAS, this Council recognizes that there has been a Bill introduced in our State House of Representatives in an attempt to combat gun violence, HB 1010, which will provide for background checks on the purchases of all firearms in Pennsylvania; and
WHEREAS, we recognize that the passage of HB 1010 is a necessary and important first step toward closing the many dangerous loopholes that exist in our state which allow guns to fall so often into the wrong hands; and,
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NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that it is the will of the Council of the City of Pittsburgh to urge our state legislators to act bravely and save our communities from gun violence by supporting or co-sponsoring HB 1010;
AND, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh calls on our state legislators to act heroically in the face of continuing carnage from gun violence in our cities and towns, and to support sensible and life-saving legislation for the sake of our families and our children.