Democrats call for gun laws
By Keith Herbert
Sep. 06, 2006
The legislators, a mix of state office holders from the suburbs and the city, were at the Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown to announce plans to submit a package of bills during a day-long special session of the House on crime scheduled for Sept. 26.
Pointing to recent poll data that indicates suburban residents are concerned about gun violence, Evans said that legislators should move beyond boundary lines and party labels to take action on gun control.
"It wasn't an accident that we were at the Norristown courthouse," Evans said. "We wanted people to know that this is an issue that transcends political jurisdiction."
There have been more than 260 homicides in Philadelphia this year, and more than 1,200 shooting victims, Evans said. More than 80 percent of the city's homicides were committed with guns, according to statistics on the city's Web site.
Legislative proposals would include limits on the sale of handguns to one per month; a ban on military-style assault weapons statewide; additional funding for police and police equipment; and a requirement that gun owners report a lost or stolen firearms within 24 hours.
Gun-control legislation has been dead on arrival in Harrisburg for more than a decade because the balance of the General Assembly supports the rights of gun owners. The majority of Pennsylvania lawmakers, both Republicans and Democrats, represent rural areas with high concentrations of gun owners and sportsmen. Pennsylvania issues nearly 1 million hunting licenses each year and there are estimates that close to the same number of residents are members of the National Rifle Association.
The poll Evans cited was conducted last week by Lake Research Partners of Washington for the House Democratic Appropriations Committee.
The firm interviewed 400 likely voters in Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery Counties and found that more than 80 percent of them said they support a statewide limit on handgun purchases to one gun a month. Nearly 75 percent of the Republican voters surveyed supported the one-gun-a-month limit.
The poll also found that 76 percent of suburban voters support a statewide ban on assault weapons.
Joining Evans were state representatives from Montgomery County: Michael F. Gerber, Josh Shapiro and Daylin Leach; State Rep. Anthony J. Melio of Bucks County; state representatives from Philadelphia: Jewell Williams, Cherelle L. Parker, Harold James and Babette Josephs. Also present was State Sen. Connie Williams of Montgomery County.
One person not there was the Montgomery County district attorney. Bruce L. Castor Jr., a Republican, said that he didn't get an invitation and that he is skeptical of legislative efforts to curb gun violence.
"I think they're destined to fail, even if they could pass the constitutional test," Castor said. "There are so many guns out there, they will always be available to criminals. They don't buy guns. They steal them."
Stiff punishment of people who commit crimes with guns is the key to stopping gun violence in Montgomery County, Castor said.
Philadelphia District Attorney Lynne Abraham said she has been a supporter of the one-gun-a-month limit since the 1990s. She called Pennsylvania "one of those states in almost total control of the National Rifle Association."
Abraham said she was encouraged by suburban legislators joining with Philadelphia elected representative on the gun-control issue.
"The legislators and others have said this is a Philadelphia problem," Abraham said. "Well, no, it isn't. It's been more acute here, but we're seeing more in Reading and Lancaster. As things become more volatile, this is a matter of simple common sense."
The special legislative session will technically convene as what's called a committee of the whole, thereby allowing legislators to casts votes that won't count as part of their voting record, Evans said.
The session "offers everybody an opportunity to be direct and honest about this," Evans said. It is a way to gauge support of the legislation outside the formal legislative process.
Based upon the poll results, legislators should be listening to voters on the issues of community safety, Evans said.
"I would caution anybody not to misread the results of this poll," he said. "I think a lot of people, as we move toward this election, will be paying attention."
Gerber said he has met with police chiefs in his Montgomery County district. The chiefs supported "almost all" of the legislative proposals.
Williams said voters in her Philadelphia state Senate district want sensible gun control. It is voters in rural Pennsylvania who need convincing, she said.
"How do we get people to understand that we're not taking away anybody's right to hunt," Williams said. "We're really trying to slow down the explosion of gun violence."
Special Session on Gun Violence
The House session Sept. 26 is expected to consider a handful of gun violence legislation. Some of the measures would:
Loosen the state's authority over gun regulation, giving Philadelphia more say over gun control. (House Bill 2483.)
Requiregun owners to report lost or stolen firearms within 24 hours of having discovered them. Unintentional first offense is punishable by $500 fine. (House Bill 1013.)
Give Philadelphiapower to enact an ordinance that limited the sale of handguns to no more than one during a one-month period.(House Bill 872.)
Create a low-interest loan program for police agencies to purchase new equipment such as bullet-proof vests. (House Bill 1016.)
Provide money for competitive grants that would enable police departments to add patrol officers. (Senate Bill 1281.