Days after a mass shooting at a rec center in Philadelphia injured five people, including four children, Gov. Josh Shapiro joined community activists and other lawmakers to press for increased funding to combat violence.

Shapiro acknowledged the shooting, but said that violence prevention programs have been paying off.

“I got to tell you, that really hit me in the heart. I’ve been to the Christy Rec Center. My kids and I went there and we played basketball with [Rep.] Amen Brown,” Shapiro said Friday. “These rec centers should be an oasis from violence. Places like this should be free from violence. It’s an example of how we have more work to do.”

The governor pointed to data showing that gun violence dropped 24% in Pennsylvania in the 12 months ending in April 2024. Gun violence dropped almost 16% in Philadelphia, the biggest decline among major cities covered by the review.

Shapiro was joined by Matt Kerr, executive director of Beyond the Bars, a Philadelphia program that aims to combat violence by exposing young people to music.

“Under my administration’s work, we have increased funding that goes to the community by 40% over the last two years,” Shapiro said. “And that funding has gone to organizations like Beyond the Bars, helping them to expand their staff and serve young people at their 55 facilities all across this city.”

The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency’s School Safety and Security Committee in January awarded

$56.5 million in grants for violence prevention efforts earlier this year.

Beyond the Bars received $285,000 to operate classes in 56 music labs in Philadelphia, providing youth in shelters, trauma clinics, foster care, diversion programs, schools and other locations.

Shapiro said his 2025-26 budget proposal included a request for an additional $10 million for violence prevention programs.

But, that funding, like all other state funding, has been tied up by the ongoing stalemate that has the state government without a budget a full month into the fiscal year.

Shapiro said he’s “frustrated” at the pace of budget negotiations, but said progress is being made.

Shapiro said negotiations have been complicated by the state’s divided government — with Republicans holding the majority in the state Senate and Democrats holding the majority in the state House. Shapiro is a Democrat.