Category: Politics

NRA Alerts that the HB 1845 could be voted on as soon as Wednesday, and there is still an attempt to get the “Lost and Stolen” bill attached to it:

Anti-gun State Representative David Levdansky (D-39) may try to amend this legislation to include a provision that would require gun owners to report the loss or theft of a firearm to law enforcement. The amendment would create criminal penalties for the failure to report a lost or stolen firearm.  This amendment was debated last week on the House floor, but no vote was taken.

Please contact your State Representative TODAY and respectfully urge him or her to oppose the amendment proposed by State Representative Levdansky, and any other amendments that threaten the rights of Pennsylvania’s law-abiding gun owners. For contact information for your State Representative, please click here.

If I sound like a broken record with the “contact your reps” crap, it’s because it’s really really important.  I contact mine so much I almost expect him to know me by name when I am introduced to him next Monday.

According to today’s session report for the Pennsylvania General Assembly, Representative Levdansky has withdrawn one amendment, A06178, from consideration. Should be noted that this is not the “Lost and Stolen” amendment, but one relating to the original bill, that has to do with altered obliterated serial numbers.  Doesn’t say anything about whether “Lost and Stolen” was considered today, though it was supposed to be on the agenda.  I’ll let folks know when I know more.

What happened can be described in this AP article.  My information was incorrect:

Rep. Bryan Cutler, R-Lancaster, withdrew from the House floor a pending constitutional challenge to legislation that would require owners to report within 72 hours when they realize a handgun has been lost or stolen. Cutler said he would withdraw the constitutional question because of House scheduling needs, but intended to renew it whenever the gun measure comes back before the chamber, perhaps as early as Tuesday.

Sorry folks, I try to be more reliable, but it was hard to tell from the state’s web site exactly what was going on.

UPDATE: The vote on all this is apparently going to be on Wednesday.  It’s looking good, but we need to keep the pressure on.

We’re running a very real risk of getting stuck with the Lost and Stolen gun provision, which will make crime victims criminally liable for having guns go missing or get stolen that they failed to notify authorities about.  Nine suburban GOP state reps are getting on board with this:

Nine Philadelphia-area Republicans signaled last week they would break ranks with their caucus today and support handgun-control legislation when the state House of Representatives resumes debate on a controversial proposal.

The measure, which would require reporting handguns that are lost or stolen, has been vigorously pushed by Democrats in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh as a “common sense” restriction that would reduce gun violence.

Through a legislative maneuver this month, gun-control proponents attached the proposal as an amendment to a separate weapons bill, setting up a possible historic full House vote on a substantive gun-control bill.

They couldn’t get this through committee, so they decided to go the route of adding to a house bill that’s already on the floor.  Here’s what some of our legislators have to say about it:

“I don’t know if it will get any illegal guns off the streets,” Perzel said. “I don’t believe it will have any effect.”

Rep. John Taylor (R., Phila.) said he, too, was a “yes” vote, but he said he was concerned about the potential consequences for law-abiding citizens who fail to report their weapons and who could face criminal charges.

“There is enough sentiment out there that this will really impact regular Joes and that the crackhead going to make straw purchases isn’t going to be affected in the least.”

But, Taylor added, “We have a big enough problem in Philly that I’ll try anything.”

They’ll try anything, even if it means we have to throw “everyday Joe’s” in prison, or subject them to steep fines.  Yeah, that’s the kind of government I want to live under, “We have to do something, even if it’s the wrong thing!” Write your reps and tell them to oppose this crap, especially if any of them are features in this article.  Write your senators too.  Even if this nonsense passes the house, there’s a chance of defeating it in the Senate, which is more friendly than the Democrat controlled house.