HARRISBURG, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — A Pennsylvania House vote on three bills aimed at strengthening state gun laws ended in a split, as two of those bills were voted down and one passed.
The one-seat Democratic majority came into play as state Rep. Frank Burns (D-Cambria County) broke ranks and voted with Republicans to defeat two gun-related bills.
One bill, known as a “red flag law” would have allowed the temporary removal of firearms from someone deemed to be a danger to others or to themselves. The second would have outlawed homemade or 3D printed guns, often called “ghost guns” because they’re untraceable.
State Rep. Tim Bonner (R-Butler, Mercer counties) pointed to the Second Amendment in his opposition to the bill.
“We all want to see this violence stopped, but recycling the same gun laws that have either been declared unconstitutional or where we already have legislation on the books to deal with it is not a solution to the problem of violence in this country,” he said.
“We stand here today as the firewall between the people and those who would chip away at the rights, one so-called reasonable regulation at a time,” said state Rep. Charity Krupa (R-Fayette County). “I'm here to remind you that the Second Amendment is not negotiable.”
While those two bills failed, the House did pass a bill that would change current law to require background checks in the sale or transfer of long guns and rifles.
Burns was joined by two other Democrats in voting against the background checks, but the bill passed 104-99 as five Republicans voted in favor — Delaware County’s Craig Williams, Philadelphia’s Martina White, and three Bucks County Republicans, KC Tomlinson, Joe Hogan, and Kristin Marcell.
The background check bill heads to the state Senate where it has little to no chance of passing.