HARRISBURG, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — The Pennsylvania House on Monday tackled a series of gun-safety bills, with mixed results. Democrats argued something needs to be done to save lives, while Republicans maintained any restrictions on guns is a violation of the U.S. Constitution.
That dichotomy was clear in debating a bill that would require gun owners to report a lost or stolen weapon within 72 hours of learning it is missing. Stolen guns are known to fuel violent crime, and supporters of the bill argue it would give prosecutors another tool to fight straw purchases — that is, when someone buys a gun for someone else who is prohibited by law from having one or for someone who does not want their name associated with the transaction.
“I don't believe in this nihilist approach of ‘There's nothing we can do,’” said Philadelphia Democrat Malcolm Kenyatta. “There's a lot that we can do, and therefore pieces of legislation that we're going to move to pass today.”
Republicans, including Western Pennsylvania Rep. Tim Bonner, insist the bills violate the Second Amendment.
“The constitutional right to bear arms, which was instrumental in achieving our independence, is under attack more so than any other provision in the Constitution,” Bonner said.
The bill requiring the reporting of lost and stolen firearms fell short, with all Republicans and one Democrat voting against it.
A bill requiring background checks for private sale of long guns passed the House 109-92.
The House also passed a bill — largely along party lines — that would allow the temporary removal of guns from someone who is believed to be a danger to themselves or others.
Delaware County Democrat Jennifer O’Mara is prime sponsor of the bill, known as Emergency Risk Protection Orders, or “red flag laws.” She said her father died by suicide with a gun when she was 13 years old.
“I fundamentally believe that if ERPO existed in Feb. 2, 2003, my dad could still be alive today. There would have actually been a tool that my family would have felt comfortable using,” she said.
But North-Central Pennsylvania Republican David Rowe argues ERPO laws violate the U.S. Constitution and due process.
“We are upending the judicial precedent that has existed in this country and this commonwealth for hundreds of years, protecting victims and their rights. And we are upending that by presuming guilt instead of presuming innocence,” he said.
Lehigh County Democrat Michael Schlossberg says the majority of gun deaths are suicides, and a temporary removal of guns would save lives.
“The impulse to die by suicide is often just that: an impulse. And if a person doesn't have a gun, they are far, far less likely to die,” he said.
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The bill passed the House 102-99, with one Democrat and one Republican crossing party lines, but it faces an uphill battle in the Republican-controlled Pennsylvania Senate.
“There's only one good thing about this bill … I know, deep down in my heart, it will go to the Senate to die,” said Republican Russ Diamond.
Another gun-safety bill taken up in the House, regarding the safe storage of firearms, did not go to a vote on Monday.
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