CENTRE COUNTY, Pa. (WTAJ) — Lieutenant Governor Austin Davis stopped by State College Wednesday to talk about his new initiatives to make Pennsylvania communities safer.

On Tuesday, July 11, Davis launched his statewide tour in Pittsburgh, which will address gun violence throughout the Commonwealth. His tour will highlight local efforts, funded by the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD), that work to make our communities safer.

“No matter what you look like or where you live, every Pennsylvanian deserves to be safe and feel safe in their community,” Lt. Gov. Davis, chair of PCCD, said. “We’re hosting this Safer Communities tour to highlight effective violence prevention programs and hear from folks on the ground who are doing this work, day in and day out. The epidemic of gun violence is not something we’re going to resolve overnight, but we can reduce harm and make our communities safer, if we can come together – law enforcement, health care providers, public health experts, community leaders and faith leaders – and deal with this problem in a holistic way.”

Davis spoke at the Penn Stater Hotel & Conference Center during the 100th anniversary of the Pennsylvania Sheriffs Association (PSA).

“We need a comprehensive gun safety strategy, which includes enacting common-sense legislation like extreme risk protection orders and universal background checks, making continued investments in effective community-based violence prevention programs and addressing the root causes of violence,” Davis said.

Davis was inspired to start the tour because he knows there are still communities grappling and struggling with gun violence, so he wants to make sure that good work that happening doesn’t go unnoticed.

“I got my start in public service when I was 16 years old when somebody got shot on my block and that was over 15 years ago,” Davis said. “Unfortunately, many communities are still grappling and struggling with gun violence and so, often times you don’t see the good work that’s going on in communities and we know there are a lot of community-based organizations that are working to end the epidemic of gun violence and we wanted to highlight the good work that’s happening.”

Violence Intervention and Prevention (VIP) funding from the PCCD supports grants and technical assistance to address community violence throughout the state. VIP will focus on preventing and intervening with gun and group-related violence.

As part of the state budget, $40 million is going towards VIP grants.

Attorney General Michelle Henry also attended Wednesday’s event to focus on the positive things that law enforcement are doing.

“We know that being in law enforcement isn’t just noble, it’s one of the greatest jobs you can ever have. It’s incredibly fulfilling and it’s a career where you’re empowered to do top work and make tough calls.” Henry said. “I really believe we’re going to change that voice. We’re going to change the way people are talking because the real stories from our colleagues across Pennsylvania are inspiring. You are the glue that holds the community together.”

The Safer Communities tour will continue over the next week with stops in York, Philadelphia, the Lehigh Valley, northeast Pennsylvania and Erie.