Posted: | December 29, 2020 10:05 AM |
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From: | Representative Donna Bullock |
To: | All House members |
Subject: | Prohibiting Weapons in Public Parks |
On July 13, 2019 seven people were wounded in a mass shooting during a cookout at a city playground in West Philadelphia. Unfortunately, this was not a one-time occurrence. Several weeks before the shooting at Baker Playground, there was a shooting at Finnegan Playground in Southwest Philadelphia and one at a graduation party in Paschall Playground in Southwest Philadelphia. In 2018, there were 526 crimes committed at a recreation center in Philadelphia. More troubling, in 2018, there were 18 gun crimes committed on or near a city owned recreation center. It is beyond time for us to act to protect the most vulnerable of citizens, our children, who are the primary users of publicly owned recreation centers. This legislation, mirrored after current provisions of law prohibiting the possession of a firearm or other dangerous article in court facilities and on school property, makes it a crime to possess a firearm or other dangerous weapon in all parks, recreation centers, or pools owned or operated by a political subdivision. I hope you will join me in sponsoring this legislation to protect our friends, families, and communities. |
Introduced as HB528