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                                                       PRINTER'S NO. 793

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA


SENATE BILL

No. 701 Session of 2007


        INTRODUCED BY GREENLEAF, WASHINGTON, RAFFERTY, COSTA, BOSCOLA,
           O'PAKE, TARTAGLIONE AND C. WILLIAMS, APRIL 2, 2007

        REFERRED TO JUDICIARY, APRIL 2, 2007

                                     AN ACT

     1  Amending Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses) of the Pennsylvania
     2     Consolidated Statutes, further providing for the offense of
     3     sale or transfer of firearms; providing for the offense of
     4     straw purchases; establishing penalties; and providing for
     5     the powers and duties of the Pennsylvania State Police
     6     relating to straw purchases.

     7     The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
     8  hereby enacts as follows:
     9     Section 1.  Section 6111(g)(2) of Title 18 of the
    10  Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes is amended to read:
    11  § 6111.  Sale or transfer of firearms.
    12     * * *
    13     (g)  Penalties.--
    14         * * *
    15         (2)  Any person, licensed dealer, licensed manufacturer
    16     or licensed importer who knowingly or intentionally sells,
    17     delivers or transfers a firearm under circumstances intended
    18     to provide a firearm to any person, purchaser or transferee
    19     who is unqualified or ineligible to control, possess or use a
    20     firearm under this chapter commits a felony of the [third]

     1     second degree and shall in addition be subject to revocation
     2     of the license to sell firearms for a period of three years.
     3         * * *
     4     Section 2.  Title 18 is amended by adding a section to read:
     5  § 6111.6.  Straw purchases.
     6     (a)  Offense defined.--No person, other than a licensed
     7  dealer, licensed manufacturer or licensed importer may purchase
     8  a firearm knowing or intending that the firearm will thereafter
     9  be transferred to another individual.
    10     (b)  Presumption.--In the absence of:
    11         (1)  any report by the purchaser to law enforcement
    12     authorities that the firearm has been stolen; and
    13         (2)  any record of a lawful sale of the firearm
    14  possession of the firearm, on or after the date of its purchase,
    15  by a person other than the purchaser of the firearm shall give
    16  rise to a rebuttable presumption that the purchaser, at the time
    17  of purchase, knew or intended that the firearm would thereafter
    18  be transferred to another individual.
    19     (c)  Defense.--It is a defense to a violation of this section
    20  that the person who purchased the firearm knew or intended that
    21  the firearm would thereafter be transferred as a bona fide gift
    22  to another individual.
    23     (d)  Penalties.--A violation of this section is a felony of
    24  the second degree.
    25     (e)  Pennsylvania State Police.--The Pennsylvania State
    26  Police shall retain information related to handgun purchases,
    27  including the number of handguns sold by a licensed importer,
    28  licensed manufacturer or licensed dealer to any one person, and
    29  the number of handguns purchased by each person. The
    30  Pennsylvania State Police shall use the information to
    20070S0701B0793                  - 2 -     

     1  investigate whether the person, licensed importer, licensed
     2  manufacturer or licensed dealer may be in violation of section
     3  6111 (relating to sale or transfer of firearms) or this section.
     4     Section 3.  This act shall take effect in 60 days.


















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