Two Notes from Ceasefire PA

CeasefirePA has started sending me updates on legislation and I'm passing a couple of them on to you.

One item concerned a lawsuit in Pittsburgh on reporting lost or stolen handguns. Several Philadelphia area legislators would like to see a similar law in this area:

STATE COURT ALLOWS PITTSBURGH LOST OR STOLEN HANDGUN REPORTING LAW TO STAND
A victory for other PA cities that have passed lost or stolen handgun ordinances

PITTSBURGH – Today, the Allegheny Court of Common Pleas allowed Pittsburgh’s lost or stolen handgun reporting ordinance to stand, rejecting a challenge by the gun lobby and resulting in yet another win for a growing statewide coalition of Mayors, City Councils, law enforcement officials, and citizens who have taken action to pass this common sense reform into law.

Judge Stanton Wettick dismissed the NRA lawsuit filed against the City of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh City Council, and Mayor Ravenstahl, ruling the NRA-backed plaintiffs lacked legal standing to challenge the ordinance because they had not suffered any actual harm. Pittsburgh City Council President Doug Shields said, "I wish the NRA would find a way to work constructively with the citizens of this country to protect people from injury and death. You can't just come to court because the legislative body does something you don't like."

Secondly, they would like us all to know that while Sen. Arlen Specter voted against the Thune Amendment (the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, S. 845/Thune Amendment, our other senator, Bob Casey, Jr., voted for it. The amendment would have allowed those granted a permit to carry a concealed weapon in one state to carry it in all states. Currently states make those agreements amongst themselves.

I have a few qualms about people wandering around carrying guns, unless their job requires it of them. There is the argument that if more people were armed there would be less crime but that really is incumbent on the shooter being well-trained and able to hit what he or she aims at. In stressful moments there is ample opportunity for bullets to go astray, especially in heavily populated areas. We've seen examples of this in Philadelphia all too often. It worries me also on public transit where there's no opportunity to get out of the way. Firefights between well-meaning but untrained and frightened citizens, and anyone perceived as threatening, are likely to lead to disaster for bystanders.