Rep. Steve Santarsiero believes that federal gun ban proposals that allow grandfathering of currently owned lawful firearms are “limited bill[s]” that he believes “leave a considerable loophole” of continued ownership and possession that “we here in Pennsylvania should and, indeed, must close.” That’s part of his pledge to justify legislation that will “outlaw both the purchase and possession” of modern semi-automatic sporting rifles.
So, as you can see, Rep. Santarsiero has pretty much deemed himself among the most extreme gun control advocates in the state of Pennsylvania. The fact that the government hasn’t just come for your guns yet is a dangerous loophole to him. Yet, it turns out that he is worried about the support that another bill in Pennsylvania is getting at the moment. He posted this call for action for gun control supporters on his Facebook page and that of his new anti-gun group, Bucks Safe:
One of my colleagues in the PA House, Daryl Metcalfe (R-12), has proposed a bill, House Bill 357 (a number that he chose intentionally) that would prohibit Pennsylvania from enforcing any new federal measures aimed at curbing gun violence. Please write to Representative Metcalfe (Hon. Daryl D. Metcalfe, 144 Main Capitol Building, PO Box 202012, Harrisburg, PA 17120-2012, (717) 783-1707, Fax: (717) 787-4771), and let him know that his proposal is both bad policy and unconstitutional.
I admit that I haven’t focused on this bill much because it’s really only relevant to any discussion at all if we’ve lost the fight politically at the federal level. I’d rather focus people’s efforts on not losing in the first place. However, given Santarsiero’s reaction to the bill, I think it’s worth highlighting. If you have the political enthusiasm for one more letter, go ahead and write to your Pennsylvania state representative and encourage them to sign on to the bill. Let’s see if we can’t increase the sponsor count so that Rep. Santarsiero feels a little more defeated in his quest to confiscate firearms from Pennsylvania gun owners.
I disagree. If you lose the fight at the state level, you will certainly lose it at the national level. We must win, every state possible, at the local level. Only then will it be evident that national bills, pass or not, will be unenforceable. If we wait to fail at the Federal level, too many GC will be emboldened, and too many pro-2nd Amendment groups crushed. Send in those letters! Just send copies to your Federal representatives as well. Let them know you are unhappy with GC the same as the local people. Fight on as many fronts as possible- letters and phone calls are easy.
But I thought they weren’t coming for our guns? They said that right? And we can trust them, right?
I don’t like bills like Metcalfe’s, because they raise false hopes in people that they really can accomplish what they purport to.
On the other hand, voicing enough support for them sends an additional message about how serious we are about our issue, so it’s good to send those letters.
Don’t really expect your representative to sign on to the bill. Just say you do. And recognize that even if every single representative in the House were to cosponsor it, that would not mean they intended for it to go anywhere.
I’m sad to admit I slacked off after the election loss, was just too depressed for a while to even read much about politics. But I’m re-engaging now, hopefully many more people on opur side are doing likewise.