When I sorted through the mess of making sausage passing Castle Doctrine here in Pennsylvania, I noticed something on the face of the Democratic Chair of the Appropriations Committee.
(Rep. Dwight Evans – the anti – had a very smug look on his face as he agreed, so I’m wondering what he got out of that deal.)
I was right to notice it because that smirk meant something. This alert just came out from NRA:
Your NRA-ILA has learned that anti-gun forces are plotting to attach a plethora of anti-gun amendments to House Bill 40 when the Pennsylvania House of Representatives returns to session Monday, October 4.
Such amendments include: a ban on semi-automatic rifles; “one-gun-a-month†purchasing restrictions; a prohibition on the use of out of state Right-to-Carry permits by Pennsylvania residents while inside the Commonwealth; mandatory reporting of lost or stolen firearms; mandatory storage of firearms within the home; and increased regulations of firearm ownership in Philadelphia. Two other amendments to this anti-freedom laundry list are currently pending.
And to think I moved to PA for greater firearm freedom.
(of course it is still better than NJ!)
So … each amendment can be voted down, and the main bill passed anyway.
How strong is support for castle doctrine? The way I see it, these amendments are all ultimately stand-alone votes.
I’m not sure if we can stop every single one of these amendments. There are some lawmakers who take the attitude that they support NRA just enough to keep their grades from going in the toilet – not that they want a very high grade, either. I wouldn’t have much faith in them when given 8 chances to vote for or against us given their whims.
The upside is that if something bad is attached to this, we should be able to kill it in the Senate and wait until next year when the GOP controls everything.
What are the chances of blocking these amendments?
Hard to say since not all of them have even faced committee votes. I haven’t checked in with those who watch Harrisburg all the time though, so maybe there’s more hope than I see. (I tend to prepare for the worst, then you’ll always be pleasantly surprised if it doesn’t happen.)
There are a few upsides, even if some of these do pass the House. We’ll have votes on the record before the election, so if we need to say “bye bye” to anyone, there’s still time for mailings and other election efforts to send them home. Votes are always handy to have in that regard.
It’s good to know my State Rep is behind HB40, signed the discharge petition, and has committed to stand against any anti-gun amendments. I want her to gather some additional friends in the House.
I hope that all PA gun owners continue to contact their reps.