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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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CONTACT: Jay Purdy |
State Rep. John Myers |
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Myers hopeful budget crisis doesn’t stall gun bill action
HARRISBURG, July 9 – State Rep. John Myers, D-Phila., remains optimistic that before the legislature recesses for the summer, it will take final action on a Senate bill that he amended that would quire police to trace the source of illegal guns possessed by individuals under 21.
In addition to the Myers amendment, the bill, S.B. 623, would include rifles among the firearms that would be traced through the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and would require the Pennsylvania State Police to establish a registry of the illegal firearms.
Myers originally submitted the confiscated gun registry as a separate bill (H.B. 24) but an unprecedented agreement with the National Rifle Association to support tracing of illegal weapons taken from persons under 21 opened the door to fast-tracking the measure by amending its language into the Senate bill.
By tracing illegal weapons, police could determine how they were obtained, such as through a theft or purchased legally by an individual who then turned the weapon over to someone who could not legally make the purchase. Police could then take countermeasures to reduce the supply.
Myers is especially familiar with the impact of firearms violence. Last year his son was abducted at gunpoint and has not been located. One suspect in the disappearance is awaiting a second trial after the first ended in a mistrial.
“I’m glad to see other members of the General Assembly at last recognize the urgency in addressing the easy availability of firearms to young people who have bad intentions,” Myers said. “While those members may not have completely ‘seen the light’ about controlling the flow of firearms, they have at least seen by the recent action of the Legislative Black Caucus that we’re done with legislative ‘business as usual’ until we get more legal tools to stem the flow of illegal guns in Philadelphia.”
Myers added that the current budget impasse has him concerned that the legislature won’t have time to act on the amended bill before breaking for the summer.
“We have a few people who have chosen to grandstand before the microphones and cameras in House sessions to score political points,” Myers said. “Their personal political agendas have created a log jam that’s keeping us from acting on meaningful bills about gun violence, education and medical care.”
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