Democratic Maryland governor Wes Moore signed a bill establishing the first statewide gun violence prevention center earlier this week.
The project, which is called the Center for Firearm Violence Prevention and Intervention, will operate within the Maryland Department of Health. Its mission is to "consolidate and better coordinate Maryland’s public health approach to preventing gun violence," according to a press release published by the governor's office on Thursday.
"The center will partner with local governments, advocates, and medical professionals engaged in violence intervention programs to build upon the critical gun violence intervention programs that were pioneered in Maryland and help ensure that they are adequately funded and informed by the best available data," the statement explained.
Moore follows in the footsteps of President Biden, who established the Office of Gun Violence Prevention in September 2023. The Old Line State is the first to adopt a statewide agency against gun violence, Moore said.
"Maryland became the first state in the nation to officially answer President Biden’s call," the governor told reporters.
Moore also signed the Growing Apprenticeships and the Public Safety Workforce (GAPS) Act, which is aimed at better funding police departments in the state.
"With police departments across the state facing challenges with hiring and retaining officers, the bill proposes short and long-term actions to help address the problem by reforming the existing apprenticeship model for public safety officials – with the goal of making apprenticeships a more viable pathway to law enforcement, and requiring the establishment of a model policy for law enforcement officer wellness programs to ensure officers receive the support they need in their often challenging work," the statement explains.
The laws come as Baltimore continues to be ravaged by crime. According to the Baltimore Police Department's website, there have been more than 1,800 aggravated assaults and 1,200 robberies since 2024 began. In addition, there have been 155 shootings and 62 homicides this year.
"When we entered office, we made public safety our number one priority, and we said we were going to move differently on this issue – because the status quo wasn't working," a statement from Moore read. "Today, we make Maryland safer by signing bills to support victims, build stronger pipelines to law enforcement jobs, and tackle the gun violence epidemic, head-on."
"We're making progress, but our work is far from done. Together, we will continue to take an all-of-the-above approach to public safety."
Fox News Digital reached out to Moore's office for additional comment, but did not receive an immediate reply.
