NORRISTOWN, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office is beginning inspections of all gun dealers in the county, making it the first county and the first law enforcement agency in Pennsylvania to independently run checks on firearms dealers.
Montgomery County Sheriff Sean Kilkenny says state law allows any government agency that issues firearm permits to inspect the premises, records and documents of Pennsylvania firearms dealers to make sure background checks and other safety measures are being followed.
“Our inspections are not intended to infringe upon the privacy rights of firearms dealers or their customers. Instead, they are conducted solely to ensure that firearms dealers are operating in compliance with existing state standards and regulations,” said the sheriff.
Kilkenny says there isn’t a single dealer or incident that prompted the move. He said he was approached by CeaseFire PA, a nonprofit that works toward preventing gun violence, with a request to look at an inspection initiative.
CeaseFire says similar inspections and investigations have shown to be effective, in other parts of the country, to bring firearms dealers into compliance.
Carol Lastowka, CeaseFire PA’s coordinator for Southeastern Pennsylvania, says most gun dealers do follow the law.
“That small percentage of gun shops that don’t comply with the regulations end up fueling more gun crimes. Their guns are the guns that are showing up at crime sites,” Lastowka said.
Kilkenny says state law allows any law enforcement agency who issues permits to perform inspections. He said his office will work closely with the district attorney’s firearms unit, and letters have gone out to all 92 gun dealers in Montgomery County to schedule a time for an inspection.
“I want to emphasize that these inspections do not infringe upon the Second Amendment rights of our citizens,” Kilkenny said. “We have a responsibility to ensure that firearm dealers are in compliance with state regulations.”
Kilkenny says each of Montgomery County’s 92 gun dealers will be scored on 14 criteria defined in Pennsylvania's Uniform Firearms Act.
“For dealers found not in compliance, we will schedule a follow up inspection and allow them to rectify any outstanding issues,” Kilkenny said.
He emphasized: “Our goal here is to bring firearms dealers into compliance.”
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