Burns vows to fight $10-a-year gun registry bill

2nd Amendment supporter says H.B. 768 undermines Pa. Constitution

HARRISBURG, March 18 – Saying it amounts to nothing more than gun control, state Rep. Frank Burns, D-Cambria, has come out swinging against a Philadelphia lawmaker’s bill that would charge gun owners a $10-per-year registration fee for each firearm they own.

Burns, a member of the legislature’s Second Amendment Caucus, said the gun registry called for by H.B. 768 contains other provisions – such as universal fingerprinting and background checks – that put it squarely at odds with current state law and the Pennsylvania Constitution.

“I took an oath as state representative to uphold the state constitution – not destroy it,” Burns said. “I see this bill as an attack on legal firearms ownership, and I will do everything in my power to defeat it.”

Burns said the proposal also flies in the face of the U.S. Constitution and the Second Amendment, which clearly codify the right for law-abiding citizens to bear arms.

“It is insulting to mandate that responsible, law-abiding Pennsylvanians be forced to register their firearms and pay yearly fees, just to exercise their constitutional right to own a gun,” Burns said. “I will fight this bill tooth-and-nail to ensure we don’t weaken or eliminate people’s ability to defend themselves.

"If we want to send a clear message to criminals and those who would do others harm via gunfire, the legal system needs to enforce the laws already on the books and stop plea bargaining these types of crimes.”

House Bill 768 is currently under consideration in the House Judiciary Committee.