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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State
Rep. Thomas Blackwell |
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Blackwell joins new push for
stolen-gun reporting law
HARRISBURG, March 17 – State Rep. Thomas Blackwell, D-Phila., took part in a rally today at the state Capitol pressing for the legislature to take more substantial action to help Philadelphia combat the rising toll of handgun-related murders in the city.
The rally was especially focused on legislation that would require reporting of lost or stolen firearms. Blackwell and other legislators supporting the bill were encouraged by activists and busloads of concerned residents brought to the Capitol by Ceasefire PA.
“What we are experiencing in Philadelphia is a massacre in slow motion,” Blackwell said. “Unfortunately, the fact that 400 Philadelphians are being killed each year, the vast majority by firearms, does not appear to be much of a concern to many legislators from elsewhere.
“It is not only a case of winning them over through evidence, but also weaning them off their fear of the pro-gun bogeymen lurking behind any legislation, no matter how worthy, that would apply to any aspect of firearm availability.”
Under the legislation, the Pennsylvania State Police would develop and maintain a list of firearms reported lost or stolen and include identifying information relating to the firearm, such as the name of the lawful owner.
The legislation would require any lost or stolen firearm to be reported within 24 hours of the discovery of the loss or theft. Local law enforcement officials who received a report of a lost or stolen firearm would have to forward a copy of the report to the sheriff of the county in which the owner of the weapon resides. Any person who violated the 24-hour reporting rule could be banned from purchasing or acquiring a firearm for six months.
Currently, a person can get a stolen or misplaced gun and use it in a crime and there is no established method of tracking that gun, Blackwell said.
Blackwell emphasized that the bill does nothing to keep people from lawfully purchasing firearms and does not subject them to further registration.
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