Firearms Owners Against Crime
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
by: James Stoker
"Expectations" is the word of the year 2025 for gun rights activists like us. Weighing our expectations versus what is actually likely to happen this year is what I’m going to discuss for you today.
Two blog pieces ago, I went into the elections and their impact. I showed hope for Attorney General Dave Sunday as a win for pro-gun citizens, but now, the jury is out. I have to say that because, though he campaigned as a pro-2A candidate, he just filed a petition to overturn a federal court ruling that allowed 18 to 20-year-olds to carry firearms in Pennsylvania. This case is known as Lara v. Paris. That means he just attacked the pro-2A ruling issued by the court. As a veteran, he should know better.
We do have some great pro-gun legislation being put forth in both the House and the Senate here in the Commonwealth. Rep. Bernstine took front and center presenting HB 454: Constitutional Carry of a Firearm (a bill FOAC helped author with the staunch 2A representative years ago). Rep. Josh Bashline put forth HB 548: Preemption Legislation, adding teeth to the too-weak preemption statute here in Pennsylvania. Finally, Rep. Perry Stambaugh put forth HB 483: Protecting Firearms Purchase Data to protect citizens’ information. In addition, several other pro-gun bills are currently seeking co-sponsorships by Rep. Stephanie Borowicz, Rep. Rob Leadbeter, and several other pro-gun legislators. We have pro-gun bills in the Senate, put forth by Sen. Chris Dush (Constitutional Carry and Right to Bear Arms Act), Sen. Doug Mastriano (Right to Bear Arms Act), Sen. Wayne Langerholc (Strengthening Preemption), and Sen. Patrick Stefano (Expanding Castle Doctrine). But what does all of this mean?
Unfortunately, the pro-gun legislators are not in the position of power to make these bills come to fruition. Yes, the Senate can pass some bills that we would love to see pass, and yes, we will support these bills, issuing calls to action when we see votes, sitting in on any committee meetings we can see them discussed in, and speaking to the sponsors of the bills trying to help them pass. But those bills will die in the House committees or under Shapiro’s veto pen. I am forced to caution FOAC members to remain patient, focused and determined.
We spent the past two years on defense in the House and with an understanding in the Senate that anything passed there will die in committee in the House. The enemy controls the calendar in the House, and though pro-gun legislators worked in a rule that could be used to perhaps help push something critical, it will be used sparingly as it will also jeopardize pro-gun legislators in certain districts only to be vetoed by the anti-gun governor we all know and despise.
Now we need a plan of attack. This isn’t a single day, month, or even year long battle. Not a single session will bring all of this to a head, but, as of right now, we are looking at two years minimum to alter the course. This is a battle over our rights that has gone on for decades, and it’s our turn to be at the forefront where our predecessors worked so diligently before us. We won’t be attacking our allies, chasing low-hanging fruit that hurts the cause. We understand this is a war, not just one skirmish. We need to expand education efforts, help register pro-gun brothers and sisters to vote in a pro-gun House and Governor, and pressure the courts to rule in line with the Constitution and the rights of every citizen of this Commonwealth to “bear arms in defense of themselves and the state.” We will continue to slap the fiefdoms around the state that pass illegal ordinances and set examples to deter others from infringing, as many of them think they are empowered to do. Pro-gun leaders in the House and Senate want to win with us and they hear us. They just ask us to keep our expectations realistic in the current state of affairs. We can and we will…
In the meantime, get your fingers loosened up, and sharpen your minds. Ask yourself what you can do to further this cause and help us ensure victories, not just on proposed bills in the legislature, but in who sits in the seats of power to pass them. Yes, the bills are being written repeatedly to return the rights to us our Founding Fathers decreed at the start. Now, we need to put the right people in the chairs to vote them back into law.
x