Bang, Bang - Another PA Gun Bill Is Dead

Here are some of the gory details from the Philadelphia Daily News…

TO FULLY appreciate state Rep. Dave Levdansky's courage, you have to compare him to House Speaker Dennis O'Brien, who earned his leadership position in part by providing a hiding place for the cowardly lions of the state Legislature.

Levdansky, D-Allegheny, a sportsman and avid hunter, was the prime sponsor of an amendment to require handgun owners to report, within three days, if their weapons were lost or stolen.

He stood up to withering questioning and attacks from the National Rifle Association and its surrogates in the House to strike a blow for gun-regulation sanity.

His measure, soundly defeated by a vote of 127-76, was backed by law-enforcement agencies, city councils and district attorneys in every region of the state.

Its purpose was to discourage straw purchasers who buy large numbers of handguns for resale to people who can't buy them themselves because of criminal records or other restrictions.

So, as opposed to fighting the lethal threat of straw gun purchases, the PA “Lege” caved again in the face of carping and whining from noisy gun owners who opposed a legal stipulation for the practice of missing a reporting gun, something they would (or should) do anyway?

Yep, that’s about it. And by the way, concerning O’Brien…

…when the votes were recorded and the opponents were finally flushed out, (the name of O’Brien), who has distinguished himself as the only lawmaker from (Philadelphia) to vote against the amendment (appeared first). He was joined by Stephen Barrar, R-Delaware; Paul Clymer, R-Bucks; Gene DiGirolamo, R-Bucks; Robert Godshall, R-Montgomery; Art Hershey, R-Chester; Bob Mensch, R-Montgomery; Scott Petri, R-Bucks, and Thomas J. Quigley, R-Montgomery.

(As you’ll see later in this post, though O’Brien is completely bought and paid for by the NRA, he has actually done good work in other legislative matters.)

And the Courier Times tells us more about the three votes from our esteemed Repug legislators in Bucks County here (glad to see they got that case of Geritol after all)…

DiGirolamo bought the innocent citizen argument. He also said laws are on the books regarding illegal gun sales. We don't need more. Plus, people who legally sell or transfer a gun they suspect will be used in a crime already face criminal charges.

He said the real problem is drug and alcohol abuse. That's what fuels gun violence, he said, and he pointed to legislation he's authored to attack that problem.

Clymer said we need fewer gun laws and more “traditional family values.”

Thanks, Paul.

Petri called the measure ineffective, but also said it was flawed. Something about how selling or transferring a gun that's used in a crime would be a lower-grade crime under the defeated measure than it is now if the accused claimed the gun was lost or stolen and if it was a first offense.

Got that?

We're still trying to figure it out.

And Petri also had this to say (from here)…

“We all knew this was a bad vote,” Petri said. “If you voted "yes,' you were potentially criminalizing normal innocent people. If you voted "no,' then you would be seen as soft on guns.

“I already can picture some of those grainy photos and campaign ads that use this vote to label me as pro-gun,” he added.

WAAAAAHHHHH!!!! Sorry, Scott, but that’s the deal – and maybe if, in a campaign ad, you’re labeled as “pro-gun,” it’s because you are “pro-gun.”

And as far as those who did the right thing, kudos to State Reps. John Galloway (D-140), Chris King (D-142), Tony Melio (D-141), and our own David Steil, (R-31), who, amazingly enough, has managed to earn an “A” rating from the NRA (which will probably get knocked down a grade as a result of this, which Steil should wear as a badge of honor).

And speaking of King and Galloway, they wrote the following Guest Opinion that appeared in the Courier Times on Monday March 31st…

Just over a year ago, we were members of a new class of state legislators. Elected by a public unhappy with business as usual in Harrisburg, we vowed to make state government more responsive to the needs and desires of our constituents.

We saw a need for more open state government, investment in our energy future, and assistance to ensure all Pennsylvanians could see a doctor when they were sick or hurt. We have accomplished those challenges.

Within the first months of this legislative session, House Speaker Dennis O’Brien formed the reform commission to rewrite the rules of the House to allow greater public access to state government. We didn’t stop there. With the help of other freshmen lawmakers, we achieved a new open records law that takes Pennsylvania from having some of the worst open records practices in the nation to having one of the best.

The momentum to facilitate real change for the people of the Commonwealth was palpable and we took advantage of that momentum to address the energy crisis that is knocking at our door. In just a few short years, energy rate caps will expire and many of us could see our electric bills double or even triple. Clearly new ways of lighting and heating our homes must be found.

We crafted a comprehensive package of bills known as the Energy Independence Strategy that not only addresses the pending hikes in power costs, but makes smart investments in the alternative energy industry in Pennsylvania. These are investments that not only would help to find affordable, renewable alternative energy for our residents and businesses, but also create thousands of jobs to grow our economy and make Pennsylvania a leader in this industry.

As the cost of health care rises and the economy slows, it has become increasingly difficult for businesses to offer their employees health-care benefits. As a result, there are thousands of working Pennsylvanians without health-care coverage. This is a complicated problem with no easy solution, but also too important to ignore. We are tackling the health-care crisis head on. We amended S.B. 1137 to create PA ABC, Pennsylvania Access to Basic Care. This plan would give lower-income working individuals and businesses that employ low-wage workers the opportunity to purchase affordable, quality health insurance.

This plan gives hope to those who, right now, have no access to insurance. It would also help to lower insurance costs for everyone because it reduces the number of people forced to use the emergency room as a primary care physician, which exacerbates uncompensated care costs.

We look forward to keeping the momentum going as there is much more work to be done. We must address our aging roads and bridges. We must pass the Keystone Opportunity Zone legislation to help boost economic development. And we must alleviate the property tax burden.

And finally (back to the gun bill), this word for Dennis O’Brien; if you choose to extend holiday greetings to your constituents again as you did here, please make sure you also remember to pray that they all make it through the year due to your legislative subterfuge.