It’s time to start talking politics because the politicians are talking about more specific bills, even ones that they acknowledge have nothing to do with the Newtown shooting, but they want to pass anyway.
In Pennsylvania, we’ve got the following reports from various politicians calling for more restrictions on law-abiding gun owners, both federal and local.
Federal Lawmakers
Sen. Bob Casey – As the media notes, now that Sen. Casey is no longer running for re-election, his office is actually going on the record that he’ll gladly ban guns.
When pressed to clarify Casey’s stance, an aide said everything is on the table, including an assault weapons ban, an about-face from a stance he took after the Aurora, Colo., movie theater massacre in July. At the time, his office said Casey, who was facing re-election, would not support legislation banning assault weapons.
From the same article, we see that Sen. Pat Toomey and Rep. Charlie Dent are focusing on the mental health concerns.
Rep. Chaka Fattah – Rep. Fattah is going straight for a gun ban federally, but the sources are light on details like whether he will introduce one to compete with the ban promised by Sen. Dianne Feinstein or will simply back her planned bill.
U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-Pa.) also got behind the calls to limit assault weapons and clip capacity.
Rep. Allyson Schwartz – As a frequently tossed around name for the Democratic nominee for Governor in just over a year, we find from the same article above that she’s refusing to answer any questions about specific bills she supports, simply summing things up as new gun laws. She also refused further interview on the subject. I would say that her response is pretty much the clear writing on the wall that she’s going to run statewide. Gun owners would be wise to remember that she’s F-rated for a reason.
Rep. Mike Doyle – Rep. Doyle has made clear that he not only supports a ban on semi-automatic rifles, but also seemingly wants to ban every semi-automatic firearm based on his comments bemoaning the lawfulness of handguns.
“I just don‘t understand the civilian use for semiautomatic weapons, or these clips that hold 30 rounds. That‘s not how you hunt deer,†said Mike Doyle, D-Forest Hills. Doyle said he supports reinstating a ban on military-style rifles that expired in 2004. … “If this young man went into his mother‘s house and all she had was a six-shooter and a hunting rifle, there would not have been this many dead,†Doyle said.
Rep. Bob Brady – From the same article above, we see that he wants to ban all private transactions of firearms, ban guns, and limit how many guns that law-abiding gun owners who pass all of his other new proposed restrictions can buy.
Rep. Bob Brady, D-Philadelphia, said Congress should go further by requiring more extensive background checks, closing the so-called gun show loophole — which allows people to buy guns at shows without a background check — and restricting gun purchases to one a month.
Guns such as the Bushmaster rifle don‘t “belong in anybody‘s hands unless they‘ve got a uniform on and they‘re fighting for the United States,†Brady said.
From his comments, it sounds like he also wants to ban police departments from using semi-automatic rifles.
State Lawmakers
Rep. Steve Santarsiero – Early out of the gate, Rep. Santarsiero came out calling for a gun ban in Pennsylvania that would ban not only sale, but possession. The proposal would make tens of thousands of law-abiding residents instant felons.
I will be sponsoring a bill in the new legislative session that would outlaw both the purchase and possession of assault weapons such as those used in Connecticut last Friday. I know that similar efforts will be made at the federal level –and I sincerely hope that they are successful — but that fact should not prevent us from moving forward with our own legislation here in Pennsylvania. Moreover, I understand that at least one of the bills being considered at the federal level would only prohibit the purchase of these weapons on a going forward basis. If such a limited bill were to become law, it would leave a considerable loophole that we here in Pennsylvania should and, indeed, must close.
To him, the current lawful possession of firearms is a “loophole” that must be closed.
Rep. Daylin Leach – After admitting that there’s not a cure-all solution to a crime where a madman was willing to kill his own mother in order to obtain guns to commit a greater tragedy, Sen. Leach doesn’t hold back on the two primary gun control bills he has backed for years that have nothing to do with the Connecticut situation.
But he says he thinks of two bills right away when it comes to gun safety – one would limit a person’s gun purchases to one a month… Another bill would require people to report lost or stolen guns to police within two days of finding the gun missing.
Again, the goal is to limit how many firearms a law-abiding gun owner who has already gone through state and national background checks is allowed to purchase. (Sen. Leach did question the right to own semi-automatic firearms to another media outlet, but made no mention of wanting to ban these common rifles.)
Rep. Ron Waters – In the same main article linked above, we find that the House will have another advocate for banning semi-automatic rifles.
Philadelphia’s Ron Waters says he’s proposed banning such guns four or five times, and he’ll introduce the measure again next year.
