Firearms Owners Against Crime
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
WEST CHESTER >> A contingent of Chester County gun safety advocates and others braved a persistent drizzle Friday to hold a rally in favor of legislation introduced by Pennsylvania’s senior U.S. senator earlier this month that would make it more difficult for those convicted of hate crimes to own firearms.
Kate Rogers, of West Chester, and Terrell Bryant, of Coatesville, protest outside the office of U.S. Rep. Ryan Costello in West Chester Friday. “I want to stand up to gun violence, it’s an ongoing problem in Coatesville,” said Bryant. “A good place to start is research and background checks. Anything that controls gun use is good.” PETE BANNAN – DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA
The rally took place outside U.S. Rep. Ryan Costello’s office on the steps of the Historic Chester County Courthouse, the site of almost weekly protests by the progressive Concerned Constituent Action Group since the beginning of the year. About a dozen people stood on West Market Street and waved signs about gun control at passersby.
The effort by members of that organization and Gun Sense Chester County came on the heels of a shooting in Alexandria, Va., that targeted Republican members of Congress practicing for an annual charity baseball game. Costello, R-6, of West Goshen, a regular on the GOP team, missed a ride to the field that morning. He later speculated that he would have been in the direct line of fire at his shortstop position.
“That could have been qualified as a hate crime,” said Tom Buglio, of the Gun Sense group. “Our goal is finding common cause with legislators like Congressman Costello on issues like this. We feel that when there is a hate crime committed with a gun, you should lose all gun rights. This is a good issue. How could you be against it?”
On June 8, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., and U.S. Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I., announced that they had re-introduced legislation that would keep guns out of the hands of those who commit criminal acts based on hate. The “Disarm Hate Act” would prevent individuals convicted of violent misdemeanor hate crimes from purchasing or possessing firearms.
“If you’ve been convicted of a crime based on hate, you should have zero access to a gun. It’s not complicated,” said Casey at the time, according to a press release. “It is time for Congress to step up to the horrors of gun violence. If we care about the safety and security of our communities, it’s imperative that we put measures in place to keep guns out of the wrong hands.”
“If you commit a hate crime, you shouldn’t be allowed to own a gun. Period,” said Cicilline. “There is a clear link between these horrific hate crimes and gun violence. We know that those who commit hate crimes become increasingly violent as time goes on. No American family should have to suffer because of this loophole. Let’s disarm hate once and for all.”
This legislation comes as known hate groups are growing in the United States. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), 917 hate groups are currently operating in the United States, up nearly 17 percent since 2014 and more than 50 percent since 2000. According to National Crime Victimization Survey data, between 2010 and 2014 alone, around 43,000 hate crimes were committed with a firearm.
The “Disarm Hate Act” is endorsed by the following organizations: Americans for Responsible Solutions, the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, CeaseFire PA, the Center for American Progress, Everytown for Gun Safety, and Sandy Hook Promise.
Leaders of the group outside Costello’s office called for the second-term legislator to support the bill’s passage in the House.
“America is a great nation, but a gun homicide rate that is 25 times higher than the average of all other developed countries is not something to be proud of,” said Ann Coly-Cummings, Gun Sense’s chairman, in a press statement. “Research has shown that gun violence most frequently afflicts the most vulnerable groups among us, such as low-income people and minorities.” Casey’s bill, she said, Is “one step in the right direction” to ending the violence.
A statement issued by Cosello’s office read, “As Rep. Costello has said before, he opposes discrimination of any kind. He will continue to look at proposals to reduce gun violence and believes we must work to prevent senseless acts of gun violence, including through solutions that pass constitutional muster to stop firearms from getting into the hands of criminals and those who lack the mental capacity to safely and responsibly possess them. Rep. Costello respects and supports the right of constituents to make their voices heard, and he always appreciates their feedback.”
Costello was not in his West Chester office Friday, but in Washington meeting in committee and with House Speaker Paul Ryan on other matters. In the past, he has voiced support for what he called “common sense” legislation that would work to end gun violence.
“I stand ready to work with my colleagues and those on both sides of this issue to find common-sense solutions that will effectively achieve” ending violence and protecting the Second Amendment, he told the Daily Local News in 2015.
“It also bears mentioning that sometimes gun safety proposals sound logical, but either are already required under law or have been determined to be unconstitutional,” said Costello. “That is why I believe it is essential that any proposed legislative effort be carefully reviewed and vetted for any potential violation of the Constitution before casting any vote in support or opposition.
Casey’s measure would expand the categories of those banned from purchasing firearms to include anyone convicted of misdemeanor-level hate crimes – such as using a gun to threaten others based on their race, religion, sexual orientation, gender or disability. Federal law currently bans those convicted of felonies and domestic violence misdemeanors from buying guns.
“Hate unchecked usually grows in almost every instance,” Casey said at a press conference unveiling he bill at Bethel AME Church in Ardmore on Monday.”And hate unchecked with the use of a firearm can have a destructive impact.”