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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2017 - 2018
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | March 13, 2018 11:39 AM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Tina M. Davis |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Firearms – Domestic Violence |
| In the near future, I plan to introduce commonsense gun safety reform legislation to better protect domestic violence victims, their children, and their families, and to keep our communities safe from preventable acts of gun violence. It is important to note that according to a report by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF), responding to domestic disputes is the number one circumstance of firearms-related deaths for law enforcement officers. In Pennsylvania, abusers who murder intimate partners, their children, and their families most often do so using firearms. Under state and federal law, convicted domestic violence offenders are prohibited from having firearms in their possession, however, these offenders have 60 days to surrender their weapons. This lag time poses a serious threat to domestic violence victims, their families and to communities across the Commonwealth. My legislation would bolster protections for domestic violence victims by requiring any person convicted of domestic violence or against whom a Protection from Abuse (PFA) order is granted to surrender all firearms, ammunition and firearms licenses to a county sheriff, a law enforcement agency, or to Federal Firearms Licensed dealer within 24 hours. In addition, my legislation would prohibit third-party safekeeping of firearms by a family member or friend. Finally, under my legislation, police would have limited authority to search for and seize firearms from those offenders who deny ownership. Simply put, those who threaten harm or commit violent acts against their spouses, partners, family members, and children should not be permitted to keep firearms. Limiting offenders’ access to firearms both increases protections for domestic violence victims and their families, and helps keep our communities and law enforcement officers safe from gun violence. Please join me in co-sponsoring this vital piece of legislation. |
Introduced as HB2223