SLS 23RS-1596 ORIGINAL
2023 Regular Session
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 151
BY SENATOR DUPLESSIS
WEAPONS. Requests Louisiana State Police, LDH's office of behavioral health, and the
Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement to collaborate on best practices and model
programs that address gun violence prevention and intervention.
1 A RESOLUTION
2 To request Louisiana State Police, the Louisiana Department of Health's office of behavioral
3 health and the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of
4 Criminal Justice to collaborate on best practices and model programs that address
5 gun violence prevention and intervention and identify strategies and funding sources
6 to assist in implementing the practices and programs.
7 WHEREAS, gun violence across Louisiana carries high health care, law
8 enforcement, and criminal justice costs to Louisiana's taxpayers; according to statistics from
9 Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund, gun violence cost Louisiana $14.3 billion each
10 year, of which $457.6 million is paid by taxpayers; and
11 WHEREAS, at an average cost of $3,085 per resident each year, Louisiana has the
12 sixth highest per resident cost of gun violence in the United States; and
13 WHEREAS, these costs do not account for the toll of the lives stolen, the trauma of
14 witnessing a shooting, the fear of becoming a victim of such violence, or the long-term
15 impacts on communities grappling with gun violence; and
16 WHEREAS, these tragic incidents have disproportionately affected black residents;
17 across the United States, black residents are five times more likely to die by gun homicide
18 than their white neighbors; in Louisiana, black residents are ten times to die by gun homicide
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SLS 23RS-1596 ORIGINAL
1 than their white neighbors; and
2 WHEREAS, gun violence prevention and intervention programs have demonstrated
3 that violence can be dramatically reduced when targeted prevention and intervention
4 strategies are identified and implemented in the small segment of the population who are at
5 the highest risk of being involved in gun violence; and
6 WHEREAS, there is a growing body of evidence that direct funding to resource and
7 support evidence-informed and community-driven violence intervention programs in the
8 communities most impacted by gun violence has demonstrated effectiveness in saving lives;
9 and
10 WHEREAS, strategies that have evidenced success include street outreach programs
11 utilized in Philadelphia and Newark, hospital-based violence intervention programs utilized
12 by Indianapolis, and cognitive behavioral therapy services utilized in Richmond, California,
13 as well as public safety round tables utilized around the country to engage the community
14 in the public safety process and develop solutions; and
15 WHEREAS, the evidence strongly supports that community-based violence
16 prevention and intervention programming can comprehensively address the cycle of violence
17 by addressing the root causes of violence, providing support in moments of crisis, and
18 offering resources to support the healing of victims and survivors.
19 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
20 does hereby requests Louisiana State Police, the office of behavioral health of the Louisiana
21 Department of Health, and the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement and
22 Administration of Criminal Justice to collaborate on best practices and model programs that
23 address gun violence prevention and intervention and identify strategies and funding sources
24 to assist in implementing the practices and programs.
25 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
26 superintendent of Louisiana State Police, the assistant secretary of the office of behavioral
27 health of the Louisiana Department of Health, and the executive director of the Louisiana
28 Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Criminal Justice.
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SLS 23RS-1596 ORIGINAL
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Dawn Romero Watson.
DIGEST
SR 151 Original 2023 Regular Session Duplessis
Requests Louisiana State Police, LDH's office of behavioral health, and the Louisiana
Commission on Law Enforcement to collaborate on best practices and model programs that
address gun violence intervention and identify strategies and funding sources to assist in
implementing the practices and programs.
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