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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State
Rep. Rosita Youngblood |
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Youngblood, other Black Caucus members flex legislative muscle
Lawmakers walkout of session; stage protest in light of inaction on gun violence legislation
HARRISBURG, Dec. 5 – To highlight the lack of attention on solving Pennsylvania’s gun violence epidemic, state Rep. Rosita Youngblood, D-Phila., and other members of the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus staged a protest on Wednesday, walking out of the afternoon session and bringing the floor action to a halt.
One by one, several members of the PLBC asked for a leave of absence for the day, a day in which the House had scheduled a crucial vote on legislation reforming the state’s open records laws. Youngblood said the purpose of the protest, and the timing, was to show they are serious about addressing the gun violence issue in Pennsylvania and that open records should not be voted on until the House takes a stand against gun violence throughout the Commonwealth.
“Trivial and senseless murders are occurring every day in this state, and we as lawmakers must do something to stop it,” Youngblood said. “As members of this legislature we should be in the business of saving lives. Open records may be an important issue, but protecting the lives of our citizens must be our top priority. We need to pass legislation that addresses this serious problem before the start of 2008.”
After the protest, some members of the PLBC met with leaders to work out a compromise so that the House could move forward with its agenda. Youngblood said that gun violence should be at the top of that agenda and those who staged the protest must remain vigilant in their fight to bring the issue forward.
“We cannot go back on our promise and cave in after we were effective in having our voices heard,” she added. “We will hold no credibility if we come out of this with just more of the same false promises.”
Youngblood said the House should develop a detailed and structured report that chronicles the gun violence epidemic and how it is affecting communities across Pennsylvania. Without such a commitment from leaders in the House, she said the protest held today will not accomplish anything.
To date, nearly 38 pieces of legislation have been introduced in the House regarding gun violence, none of which have been addressed. One measure Youngblood has introduced (H.B. 291) would require increased safety performance and manufacturing standards for handguns, including a mandate that handguns be personalized so that they could only be fired by the authorized user or users.
“We have sons and daughters, fathers and mothers, uncles and aunts, teachers, police officers, community leaders, students – all dying at the hands of gun violence,” she said. “What will it take for us to get serious about solving this problem? As I have said before, I am committed to doing whatever it takes to get our message across that saving the lives of citizens living in the Commonwealth should be our number one priority. We have shown that we have the power to influence other policies and I think that we should remain steadfast in our efforts.”
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CONTACT: Bill Thomas |