House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda

In the United States, approximately one out of three handguns guns is kept loaded and unlocked, more than 75% of first and second graders know where their parents keep their firearms, and 36% of first and second graders admitted handling the weapons, contradicting their parents’ reports. Among teenagers who live in a household that has a firearm, approximately 40% of those who had serious risk factors for suicide or who had attempted suicide in the past year reported having “easy access” to firearms in the home. Furthermore, according to a report published by the U.S. Secret Service and the U.S. Department of Education, in 65% of the school shootings analyzed, the shooter obtained a gun from his or her own home or from the home of a relative.

In July 2017, Cosmo DiNardo lured four young men to his house in Pennsylvania and murdered them with a family member’s firearm that he was not permitted to possess. However, because the Commonwealth currently has no requirements regarding the safe storage of firearms, no member of his family was charged for permitting him access to the firearm used in the murders. The lack of such requirements leave our children unacceptably vulnerable to murders, fatal accidents, suicides, and school shootings. Therefore, I plan to introduce a package of three bills to require that firearm owners are responsible in ensuring that their guns do not fall into the wrong hands. I hope you will join me in co-sponsoring these important legislative proposals to make our communities safer. Thank you in advance for your consideration.

Proposal #1 - My first bill will require gun owners to safely store firearms if a person who cannot legally possess a firearm lives in the owner’s residence.

Proposal #2 - My second bill will require gun owners to safely store firearms when not under direct control of the owner.

Proposal #3 - My third bill will require gun owners to report the loss or theft of a firearm within 24 hours of the discovery of the loss or theft. The legislation would also hold a firearm owner, who fails to report the loss or theft of a firearm that is later used in the commission of a crime, civilly liable for any damages resulting from that crime.