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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2019 - 2020
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | January 22, 2019 03:47 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Mike Zabel |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Co-Sponsorship: ZABEL - Firearms: One Purchase a Month |
| MEMORANDUM To: All Members of the House of Representatives From: Representative Mike Zabel Date: January 22, 2019 Subject: Firearms: One Purchase a Month Every year, hundreds of thousands of guns are trafficked throughout the country by way of the Iron Pipeline, a system of states with weak gun laws that allow people to amass enough guns through straw purchases, sometimes buying hundreds every month, to sell to buyers in other states. Many gun crimes all over the United States have been committed with guns smuggled in from other states. In 2014, Pennsylvania was the source of over 2,050 trafficked guns used in crimes around the country, and in the first quarter of 2018, 83 firearms recovered in crimes in New Jersey were originally purchased in Pennsylvania, more than from any other state. To combat this problem, my legislation would place a limit on purchases of handguns in Pennsylvania, allowing one handgun per individual within any 30-day period (with exceptions for licensed firearm dealers, licensed firearm collectors, law enforcement and correction facilities, licensed private security companies, antique firearms and stolen firearms). Fines or fees imposed on those who violate this law would be deposited into a Violence Prevention Fund in the State Treasury to be used for police grants to prevent gun-related injuries. The time has come for us to show that we will no longer accept the illegal firearm trafficking taking place in our beautiful state. With the ability to legally buy multiple guns at once, Pennsylvania’s role in this unregulated and dangerous Iron Pipeline can no longer be ignored. I ask that you please join me in taking the first step to preventing the trafficking of guns from Pennsylvania into other states. We cannot, in good conscience, continue to allow Pennsylvania guns to put at risk the lives of men, women, and children across the nation. |
Introduced as HB162