PA House Hearings on 'Gun Violence' in Erie, PA

[normanvin]

i am new to this board and would like to say good deal guys. thanks for attending these meetings.

[Mtbkski]

A story with a moral. Gun owners everywhere need to read and heed.

A mouse looked through the crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife open a package. What food might this contain?" The mouse wondered - he was devastated to discover it was a mousetrap.
Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse proclaimed the warning:There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!"
The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said, "Mr.Mouse, I can tell this is a grave concern to you, but it is of no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it."
The mouse turned to the pig and told him, "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!" The pig sympathized, but said, I am so very sorry, Mr.Mouse, but there is nothing I can do about it but pray. Be assured you are in my prayers."
The mouse turned to the cow and said "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!" The cow said, "Wow, Mr. Mouse. I'm sorry for you, but it's no skin off my nose."
So, the mouse returned to the house, head down and dejected, to face the farmer's mousetrap alone. That very night a sound was heard throughout the house -- like the sound of a mousetrap catching its prey. The farmer's wife rushed to see what was caught.
In the darkness, she did not see it was a venomous snake whose tail the trap had caught.The snake bit the farmer's wife. The farmer rushed her to the hospital, and she returned home with a fever.
Everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard for the soup's main ingredient.
But his wife's sicknes s continued, so friends and neighbors came to sit wi th her around the clock. To feed them, the farmer butchered the pig.
The farmer's wife did not get well; she died. So many people came for her funeral, the farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide enough meat for all of them.
The mouse looked upon it all from his crack in the wall with great sadness.
So, the next time you hear someone is facing a problem and think it doesn't concern you, remember -- when one of us is threatened, we are all at risk.

[Archiver]

Thanks to all who go when others cant! Great Job!

Originally Posted by Mtbkski

ISSUE: MAKE IT A CRIME TO NOT REPORT YOUR PISTOL AS STOLENShe then asked me if my firearm was stolen from my house would I report it. I said, " Your darn right I would. I want my pistol back. And the police are the ones most likely to do that". She smiled. I then told her that I felt that most law abiding citizens would surely report a firearm as stolen if they knew it was missing.

Of course she smiled....in her mind you just supported one of Rendells "reasonable gun laws" ideas. Of course stolen guns should be reported....but the KEY issue is WHEN! Many favor laws that a gun must be reported stolen in "X" hours/days.
Some gun owners may not realise a gun is stolen until AFTER a crime has been committed. Some assume that a gun owner who doesnt realise their gun is stolen are really straw purchasers who when the gun is traced back make the excuse they "didnt realise it was missing". Thus by not reporting the theft BEFORE the crime you are SOL!
The anti's just cant understand that a gun can be stolen without a gun owners knowledge! It could even be stolen from a safe you use EVERY day...and you may not know. Have a pistol in a special presentation case? The gun may be GONE but the case in the safe makes you THINK its still there!

How? Who? An example...even though you have a gun locked in a safe a "friend" or relative may have figured out your combination through lax security or just clever reasoning. Perhaps you or your spouse didnt block the combination from view well enough when opening the safe or you use something dumb and obvious like your social security number anniversary, etc.

Maybe even your gun locks have the same key, etc. I know of at least one retailer where ALL the trigger locks use the same key code number!!! DUMB! DUMB! DUMB!!

If you use a key with a "code number" on it do you leave it on your key chain for all to see? Is that the ring you leave with your mechanic?


Cheat on your spouse? Bad Marriage? What if your spiteful ex-spouse knows your combination? What better way to get all the $ and kids with you rotting in jail due to a stolen gun "registered" (illegally by PAStatePolice) in YOUR name used by a gang banger?

You see the picture. Laws by which you are REQUIRED to report a theft by a certain time seem reasonable UNTIL you are a VICTIM of a BAD system!

[doug]

Sheriff against effort to limit handgun sales

Barry J. Jozwiak tells lawmakers that people should be able to buy as many pistols as they want, and shouldn’t be punished for failing to report gun thefts and losses.

By Kori Walter
Reading Eagle


Reading, PA - Berks County Sheriff Barry J. Jozwiak asked a panel of state lawmakers in Reading on Thursday to shoot down any legislation that would limit handgun purchases, claiming it would not curb crime or gun violence.

Jozwiak’s testimony before the state House Judiciary Committee in City Council chambers put him at odds with Reading Mayor Tom McMahon, Philadelphia lawmakers and others calling for tougher handgun laws in response to a rash of shootings and murders in Pennsylvania cities.

Jozwiak, a Republican, said he opposed a bill that would limit people to buying one handgun per month.

Instead of passing new gun laws, Jozwiak said, police and judges should enforce existing laws.

“Gun control does not reduce crime,” Jozwiak said. “In fact, criminals prefer their victims to be unarmed.”

Jozwiak even criticized a proposal that would require gun owners to notify police if their handguns were lost or stolen.

Supporters believe that would reduce instances of people buying guns, turning them over to criminals and then claiming that the gun was lost or stolen.

Jozwiak said such a law would punish honest, law-abiding gun owners who didn’t realize that their guns were missing.

“I don’t think anyone who has guns checks on a daily basis to make sure that it (a gun) is there,” said Jozwiak, whose office is in charge of issuing gun permits.

State Rep. Jewell Williams, a Philadelphia Democrat, said he was frustrated by the influence the National Rifle Association and other gun advocates exert in blocking efforts to get guns off the streets.

“People are dying in Pennsylvania,” Williams said. “Your kids ... are being shot, robbed and murdered with illegal guns. It’s almost like people don’t care anymore. It’s like special-interest groups are controlling people’s lives.”

State Rep. Harold James, also a Philadelphia Democrat, suggested a summit with gun-rights advocates might help both sides come up with solutions to soaring murder rates.

“We have an emergency, an epidemic problem in Philadelphia as it relates to gun crime and gun violence,” James said. “We’re here to reach out to say we have a problem and we want help.”

The judiciary committee is holding hearings throughout the state on crime and violence.

Committee Chairman Thomas R. Caltagirone, a Reading Democrat, said he hopes the hearings will help lawmakers reach a consensus on dealing with the issue.

State Rep. Jim Cox, a Spring Township Republican, said he would not support the one-handgun-per-month legislation because it chips away at gun owners’ rights and could lead to more drastic restrictions.

“I want people to have the sheer, unadulterated ability to defend themselves,” Cox said. “If they want to go out and buy 20 weapons to protect themselves because there has been a crime wave in their neighborhood, I don’t want to restrict them.

http://www.readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=26350

[normanvin]

Gun bill misfires, critics say
Philly lawmaker proposes making state gun owners pay to register each weapon.

TOM VENESKY tvenesky@timesleader.com

It’s a problem that Wright Township Police Chief Joe Jacob says never changes: criminals who commit crimes with guns usually obtain the weapons illegally.

That’s why Jacob feels a bill introduced in the state House of Representatives won’t do anything to help police officers fight crime.

House Bill 760, introduced by state Rep. Angel Cruz, D-Philadelphia County, would require gun owners to register all firearms with the state every year for a fee of $10 per gun. The measure would also require all gun owners to submit to fingerprinting, background checks and passport-style photos in order to obtain a registration card. The registration card for each gun would have to be carried with that firearm at all times.

If a registration application is rejected, the applicant would have to surrender their firearms to the state police.

Cruz said the bill is a way to implement a tracking system to determine the source of firearms for criminals who commit gun violence.

But, Jacob sees it differently. He says the measure won’t help officers and won’t help law-abiding gun owners. Nor will it decrease gun violence, he said.

“That bill will not lessen crime in Philadelphia or anywhere else in the state,” Jacob said. “Criminals are using guns that are stolen or bought illegally on the street.

“I do not see how this will decrease gun violence or the amount of guns in criminals’ hands.”

That’s because the measure, which applies to handguns and rifles, only targets those who purchase their firearms legally, Jacob said.

The bill has put hunting clubs and gun owners in the area on alert. Jerry Schutz, president of the 800-member Luzerne County Federation of Sportsmen, said his members are “up in arms” over the measure. The bill would disarm honest citizens, he said.

“It’s an outrageous piece of legislation. Do they actually think criminals are going to register their guns? The Supreme Court has already ruled that criminals don’t have to register their firearms,” Schutz said, adding the measure is also a money-making scheme.

“If you have 20 guns, that’s $200 you have to pay every year,” he said. “I estimate that each member in our organization has at least four guns in their home.”

Jenkins Township resident David Kopetchny, president of the PA Stump Jumpers hunting club, said the bill is another attempt to undermine the rights of gun owners. The registration fee would create another hardship for him to continue hunting, he said.

Kopetchny said he is a disabled veteran who lives on $960 per month. The game he brings home during hunting season is a valuable food source, he said, but the cost of licenses, ammunition and possibly gun registration may make hunting too costly of an endeavor for Kopetchny to continue.

“I own eight guns, and that would be $80 in permits every year. It’s nonsense,” he said. “If this goes through, I can’t afford to hunt.”

Some local lawmakers – including state representatives Mike Carroll, D-Avoca; Phyllis Mundy, D-Kingston; Eddie Day Pashinski, D-Wilkes-Barre; Jim Wansacz, D-Old Forge; and John Yudichak, D-Nanticoke – have said they will vote against the bill.

Carroll said the bill has “no chance.”

He said the proposal was drafted in response to the rise in crime in the Philadelphia area. Carroll doesn’t fault the lawmakers from making an attempt, but he said the bill isn’t the solution.

The bill has four co-sponsors, Mundy said, an indication that it lacks support. Like Carroll, she doubts the bill will be brought up for a vote.

Pashinski called the bill “economically infeasible” because gun collectors and hunters typically own more than one firearm. He said gun-related crimes are a serious issue, but other avenues have to be looked at to solve the problem.

Yudichak said his office has received many calls from gun owners and hunters concerned about the bill.

Many gun-control efforts in the legislature are misguided, he said, because they target law-abiding citizens and not the criminal element.

Yudichak recommended taking another direction to curb crime.

“I think it’s the drug crime that needs to be combated,” he said. “We need to focus on the true problem – drugs. That’s what is driving the issue.”

[sams819]

i contacted represenative marc gergely(D) from my district, allegheny county, and he said that he opposes and will not support hr 760.

[demeyers]

Originally Posted by normanvin

Gun bill misfires, critics say
Philly lawmaker proposes making state gun owners pay to register each weapon.

TOM VENESKY tvenesky@timesleader.com

It’s a problem that Wright Township Police Chief Joe Jacob says never changes: criminals who commit crimes with guns usually obtain the weapons illegally.

That’s why Jacob feels a bill introduced in the state House of Representatives won’t do anything to help police officers fight crime.

House Bill 760, introduced by state Rep. Angel Cruz, D-Philadelphia County, would require gun owners to register all firearms with the state every year for a fee of $10 per gun. The measure would also require all gun owners to submit to fingerprinting, background checks and passport-style photos in order to obtain a registration card. The registration card for each gun would have to be carried with that firearm at all times.




Cruz said the bill is a way to implement a tracking system to determine the source of firearms for criminals who commit gun violence.

But, Jacob sees it differently. He says the measure won’t help officers and won’t help law-abiding gun owners. Nor will it decrease gun violence, he said.

“That bill will not lessen crime in Philadelphia or anywhere else in the state,” Jacob said. “Criminals are using guns that are stolen or bought illegally on the street.

“I do not see how this will decrease gun violence or the amount of guns in criminals’ hands.”

That’s because the measure, which applies to handguns and rifles, only targets those who purchase their firearms legally, Jacob said.

The bill has put hunting clubs and gun owners in the area on alert. Jerry Schutz, president of the 800-member Luzerne County Federation of Sportsmen, said his members are “up in arms” over the measure. The bill would disarm honest citizens, he said.

“It’s an outrageous piece of legislation. Do they actually think criminals are going to register their guns? The Supreme Court has already ruled that criminals don’t have to register their firearms,” Schutz said, adding the measure is also a money-making scheme.

“If you have 20 guns, that’s $200 you have to pay every year,” he said. “I estimate that each member in our organization has at least four guns in their home.”

Jenkins Township resident David Kopetchny, president of the PA Stump Jumpers hunting club, said the bill is another attempt to undermine the rights of gun owners. The registration fee would create another hardship for him to continue hunting, he said.

Kopetchny said he is a disabled veteran who lives on $960 per month. The game he brings home during hunting season is a valuable food source, he said, but the cost of licenses, ammunition and possibly gun registration may make hunting too costly of an endeavor for Kopetchny to continue.

“I own eight guns, and that would be $80 in permits every year. It’s nonsense,” he said. “If this goes through, I can’t afford to hunt.”

Some local lawmakers – including state representatives Mike Carroll, D-Avoca; Phyllis Mundy, D-Kingston; Eddie Day Pashinski, D-Wilkes-Barre; Jim Wansacz, D-Old Forge; and John Yudichak, D-Nanticoke – have said they will vote against the bill.

Carroll said the bill has “no chance.”

He said the proposal was drafted in response to the rise in crime in the Philadelphia area. Carroll doesn’t fault the lawmakers from making an attempt, but he said the bill isn’t the solution.

The bill has four co-sponsors, Mundy said, an indication that it lacks support. Like Carroll, she doubts the bill will be brought up for a vote.

Pashinski called the bill “economically infeasible” because gun collectors and hunters typically own more than one firearm. He said gun-related crimes are a serious issue, but other avenues have to be looked at to solve the problem.

Yudichak said his office has received many calls from gun owners and hunters concerned about the bill.

Many gun-control efforts in the legislature are misguided, he said, because they target law-abiding citizens and not the criminal element.

Yudichak recommended taking another direction to curb crime.

“I think it’s the drug crime that needs to be combated,” he said. “We need to focus on the true problem – drugs. That’s what is driving the issue.”

This bill is another watered down version from , when Quaker Tom Ridge tried the same shenanigans..PEOPLE you have to change the Constitution of the Commonwealth first. This means back ground checks of all types will evolve---the Feds will then access your financial records and then all we have is Big Brother watching. The rise in Philly crime is at an all time low---where did Cruz get his stats ? According to the Federal UCR Unifomr crime reports -- Philly is not even amoungst the dangerous cities-- the only crime is within city hall with Milton & John Street----- Both of those goons have detailed arrest records and are not permitted to carry guns.. I can see why Sen Fumo was stocking up.. And as of last evening on WGAL-8 news--- Cruz says he never entered anything into the bill about a $10 fee..... I see another illegal pay raise here for lawmakers--n the back of this bill. Be forewarned And to think that we live in a Commonwealth that forbids us to recall or oust State Representatives.....even Gov Rendell mentioned this as the most controversial legislative body he has ever witnessed. First they vote themselves pay raises on the back of some other bill, and NOW we can't toss them out of office. This is why so many folks are moving out of Pa.