PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — As promised, Gov. Tom Wolf vetoed a bill that would have made it easier to carry concealed handguns in Pennsylvania.
Senate Bill 565 would have gotten rid of Pennsylvania’s requirement to get a permit before being allowed to carry a concealed handgun or have a loaded gun in a car. It would have also lifted Philadelphia’s law that requires a permit to open-carry a firearm.
Supporters of the bill say background checks for the permit are redundant, since the check is done at the time of purchase. And, they argue, more lawful gun owners with concealed handguns would make everyone around them safer.
They call it “constitutional carry,” though critics say there is nothing in the Constitution that requires it.
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But Wolf, in his veto message, said states without concealed carry licenses have an 11% higher rate of homicide than those that don’t. He calls it “unvetted concealed carry.”
“Removal of the licensing background investigation will hinder the ability of law enforcement to prevent individuals who should not be able to carry a firearm concealed from doing so. Domestic abusers and other dangerous criminals should not have the ability to carry hidden weapons in our communities,” he wrote.
Wolf emphasized his veto is not a move to restrict the rights of lawful gun owners.
He also noted in his message while most law enforcement agencies remained neutral on the legislation, none were in favor. And, the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association and the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association both came out against it, saying it would put law enforcement at greater risk.
According to the governor’s office, nearly 360,000 license-to-carry background checks have been conducted so far this year, and 11,000 were denied.
