Editorial, Scranton Times-Tribune, 11/19/07
Time for realistic state gun laws
Gov. Ed Rendell’s expected appearance Tuesday before a state legislative committee is so unusual that there is no record of a sitting governor ever doing so. That the governor is taking the step illustrates the urgency of the subject matter: four gun-related bills meant to enhance public safety without impairing the rights of gun owners.
Of the four bills, one is questionable but three are sound.
The problematic bill would allow municipal governments to craft their own gun laws. Aimed primarily at Philadelphia, where the violence-beleaguered city needs greater leeway, the bill could have the effect of creating a confusing and contradictory catalog of gun laws statewide.
One bill is new. Introduced by House Speaker Dennis O’Brien of Philadelphia, it would create a mandatory 20-year prison sentence for anyone who fires a gun at a police officer. The legislation is in response to the recent shootings of two Philadelphia officers, one of whom subsequently died from the wounds.
The governor will advocate a bill that would limit handgun purchases to one a month. Police contend that guns have themselves become a sort of underworld currency. Drug dealers with criminal records, who may not legally purchase handguns, provide drugs to customers who do not have criminal records, in exchange for legally purchased handguns.
A related bill would require reports to police of lost or stolen handguns. Police have reported numerous cases where guns used in crimes have been traced to owners who claim that the guns were lost or stolen. In many of those cases, police claim, the guns were either illegally sold or the fruits of the drugs-for-guns deals.
The restrictions sought by law enforcement officials and the governor will not stop all handgun-related violence, but they would help to stem some of the most egregious aspects of it. At the same time, they would have scant impact on legitimate gun owners, especially since the one-a-month bill includes an exception for collectors.
Lawmakers, who talk a good game on public safety, should provide the help sought by the governor and police.
©The Times-Tribune 2007
Press from the 10/16/07 Rally for Gun Violence Victims and Survivors
ABC channel 6- 2:30 spot This link will open your media player on your computer to play the video.
Philadelphia Daily Newsarticle
AP coverage of the event:
