Firearms Owners Against Crime
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
On Monday, Pennsylvania State Representative Amen Brown circulated a memo to all House members announcing his plan to introduce a bill that would require gun shows to make and store a copy of the identifications of all show attendees.
Brown said he is introducing the bill to fight against the proliferation of privately made firearms (PMF). He claims that what he calls “ghost guns” “are favorite of criminals and, in turn, driving Pennsylvania’s gun violence epidemic.” He also points out that 571 guns seized in Philadelphia were un-serialized firearms. Over 30,000 firearms that were found at crime scenes were not PMFs. Brown doesn’t address those firearms at all in his memo.
Brown, who somehow has a B+ rating from Firearms Owners Against Crime (FOAC), wants gun show owners to keep these records for five years. His bill will also require the gun show owner to share these records with the Pennsylvania Attorney General whenever the AG request them, even without a warrant. This requirement would essentially turn the AG’s office into “Big Brother.”
Brown worked with FOAC President Kim Stolfer and State Attorney General Josh Shapiro to pressure the former owners of the largest gun show promoter in Pennsylvania, Eagle Shows, to ban JSD Supply from all its gun shows. Pennsylvania’s own JSD Supply is one of the country’s largest suppliers of Polymer80s and the JSD Supply MUP-1 kit, which is based on the Sig P320. Brown claimed that he and members of the AG’s “Ghost Gun Task Force” witnessed a person buying dozens of P80s from a gun show. A claim that task force members and JSD Supply would later dispute.
AG Shapiro would hold a press conference celebrating the victory alongside Brown. The two anti-gun politician’s celebrations would be short-lived. Jordan Vinroe, the President and owner of JSD Supply, purchased the gun show a few months later, and soon the 80% kits would return to the gun show floor. This business deal hampered Brown’s and the AG’s attempt to block the sale of unfinished frames and receivers at Eagle Shows events.
Shapiro would then work with NBC News to target JSD Supply and Eagle Shows in the hit piece on the national nightly news. NBC News reporter Vaughn Hillyard purchased two 80% kits at a gun show outside Philadelphia in the suburb of Oaks before executing an ambush interview with Vinroe in the show’s parking lot. Hillyard would then have the AG’s office build the two kits for the network.
When those actions didn’t shut down JSD Supply, the Philadelphia field office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) issued JSD Supply a cease-and-desist order served by the Pittsburgh field office. The order was trying to shut down the company. With the help of Gun Owners of America (GOA), Vinroe and the pro-gun company fought back through a federal lawsuit. The ATF eventually would rescind its cease-and-desist order. JSD Supply is now fully operational and is selling all parts through its website.
The bill is a “Hail Mary” attempt by Brown to restrict the sale of 80% kits in the Keystone State. With all else failing, this move seems like another attempt to hurt JSD Supply and gun shows in the Commonwealth in general. The bill might be pointless with the new ATF regulations surrounding PFMs around the corner.
Gun owners in Pennsylvania should contact their elected representatives and insist they oppose the future bill.