Harrisburg, Pennsylvania doesn’t have two pennies to rub together, yet they have enough money to spend $20,000 of taxpayer coin on what are only the very beginnings of what could end up being a very expensive lawsuit. Even if the city racks up 100,000 in legal bills, they might end up being on the hook for twice that when they get slapped with the other side’s legal bills too.
And for what? These ordinances cannot be enforced, because they are illegal, and have been since preemption was passed in 1974. Even if Act 192 is found to be unconstitutional, that doesn’t change the legal status and unenforcability of their ordinances. So congratulations Harrisburg taxpayers, I suppose it should be no shock that a city who lacks the financial discipline to avoid ended up in front of a bankruptcy court would waste so much taxpayer money in what amounts, essentially, to a feel-good, symbolic act.
The people of Harrisburg (presumably) elected the officials who are doing this. Elections have consequences, and in this case those consequences are having the city pay a bunch of tax money that it can’t afford in a vain attempt to defend laws that are completely unenforceable. Where will that money come from? Larger taxes, maybe skimming funds that are earmarked for other things, perhaps parks, schools, or police (all things that are nice to have if you have to live in a city).
Basically, the people of Harrisburg are getting the government that they asked for, which is exactly what they deserve.
Let’s look at this from a liberals point of view which is to twist reality around three times and stop 180 opposite the truth. The burg is actually supporting the NRA by feeding it money through the court system by fighting for illegal regulations. Since the burg can’t donate to the NRA it will pay its lawyers $259 per hr on a fluff job doing the paper work on this one. :-)