Thursday - April 03, 2008

Common Sense Wins in Pennsylvania

HARRISBURG - The House yesterday rejected a measure aimed at curbing illegal handgun trafficking, the first substantive gun restriction considered by the full chamber in more than a decade.  By a vote of 128-75 the House defeated an amendment - attached to a separate gun crime bill - that would have made it mandatory to report lost and stolen handguns.

Gun-control proponents hailed the vote itself as a historic achievement for opening floor debate on gun violence and forcing lawmakers to take a formal position on controversial legislation.

The defeat came despite impassioned pleas from Philadelphia- and Pittsburgh-area lawmakers who argued that the legislation was critically needed to control the flow of illegal weapons and protect the innocent caught in the crossfire.

Here comes the spin and the appeal to emotion:

“This is a defining moment in this state . . . and to the families of the 400 people gunned down in Philadelphia last year,” said Rep. Curtis Thomas (D., Phila.). “The urgency of now requires that we respond to people across Pennsylvania that have said we need to do something now.”

Uh huh. And just how many of those 400 were innocent victims and not gang members? And just how many were shot with unreported stolen guns? And please, “the urgency of now”? Is that like “the audacity of hope” only more pressing?

But the final vote reflected the dominant pro-gun ideology in a state where divisions over gun control run largely along geographic rather than party lines.

Yeah, city folks vs. country folks. I have heard PA described as a state with a big city at each end and Alabama in the middle. That’s a bit of an exaggeration, as is the rumor that the west end of all bridges connecting NJ to PA have a sign on them that says “America starts here”. Fake but accurate.

There is a huge difference between reporting firearms as stolen within X amount of time after the crime occurs, and reporting them stolen within X amount of time after awareness of the theft occurs. The first way makes it a criminal offense to be on vacation and not at home to count your guns every day, the second way allows gun owners to be good citizens. I’ve been hearing a lot about straw purchases lately, along with the “mock straw” idea this bill’s amendment sought to address. Is this actually happening, or is it just hot air? If it is going on, what do you think should be done to stop the “oh, I bought a boxful of guns and they were stolen right out of my car! Too bad the burglars left me this bag of money by accident.” means to arm gangs?

Posted by Drew458     on 04/03/2008 at 01:51 PM   
Filed Under: • Guns and Gun Control •  
• Comments (1) • Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

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