Firearms Owners Against Crime
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
HARRISBURG (APRIL 10) – Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane joined state Rep. Steve Santarsiero, D-Bucks, in his call for a vote on his universal background check legislation for firearms purchases (H.B. 1010) at a Capitol news conference today.
“Right now in Pennsylvania, criminals may lawfully purchase an assault rifle even though it is illegal for that same criminal to purchase a handgun,” Santarsiero said. “I and the people standing here with me today are among the 95 percent of Pennsylvanians who believe that is something that needs to be fixed.”
Santarsiero explained that a loophole in Pennsylvania’s background check laws allows private, non-licensed sellers to sell long-barrel guns, including assault rifles, without conducting a background check on the buyer. Santarsiero’s legislation would close this loophole by requiring all sales and transfers (except familial transfers) to undergo a universal background check, including sales by non-licensed sellers.
Recent public opinion polling shows overwhelming support for universal background checks for the purchase of firearms, even among firearms owners. Santarsiero said H.B. 1010 would bring consistency to the law.
“A clear majority of Americans, Pennsylvanians and even gun owners support universal background checks as a commonsense law to help keep our communities safer from gun violence,” Santarsiero said during the news conference in the Capitol Media Center. “While federal legislation would bring greater consistency across the nation, we can no longer wait for Congress to act.”
Santarsiero was flanked by scores of Pennsylvanians who came to Harrisburg to lobby House Judiciary Committee members to vote in favor of H.B. 1010.
“Not only does this legislation have bipartisan support in the House, but it also has the support of many in the law enforcement community, including our state’s top law enforcement agent, Attorney General Kathleen Kane,” Santarsiero said.
The International Association of Chiefs of Police has called for federal, state, local and tribal laws to close the loopholes that allow people who would fail a background check to purchase firearms legally through private sales.
Several mayors, as well as other representatives from gun safety groups, attended the news conference in support of H.B. 1010. Groups endorsing the legislation include Ceasefire PA, Mayors Against Illegal Guns, Bucks Safe, The Peace Center, Keystone Progress and Bucks Against Gun Violence.
Santarsiero explained that H.B. 1010 would make for a more consistent system for conducting gun sales by requiring them to occur through a gun dealer with a Federal Firearms License. He said this process includes the background check and preserves the effectiveness of the laws in place and protects responsible gun owners.
“We know that passing H.B. 1010 will not stop all gun violence. No bill or group of bills will do that,” Santarsiero said. “But consider this: over its 15-year history, the Pennsylvania Instant Check System, or PICS, has enabled the state police to stop over 100,000 people from illegally obtaining firearms. In that same period, PICS has resulted in the successful prosecution of over 2,150 criminals. It’s time to expand that success.”
If H.B. 1010 is enacted into law, Pennsylvania would be the 6th state to close the loophole for background checks on long guns in private sales. California, New York, Rhode Island, Colorado and Connecticut all have universal background check laws.
“It has been nearly four months since the massacre in Newtown, Connecticut. I represent Newtown, Pennsylvania, where more than a common community name first sent a wave of sorrow washing over mothers and fathers who watched the horrible news that day,” Santarsiero said. “We cannot undo the past. We cannot prevent every tragedy in the future. But we can and must take reasonable steps to make our communities and state safer. If we do it for no one else, let’s do it for our children. They deserve a vote!”
Santarsiero represents all of Lower Makefield and Newtown townships, all of Yardley and Newtown boroughs and half of Upper Makefield Township in Bucks County.
http://www.buckslocalnews.com/articles/2013/04/10/bucks_news/doc5165d09459d98226793483.prt