Posted: | April 1, 2015 03:50 PM |
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From: | Representative Todd Stephens |
To: | All House members |
Subject: | Taking Aim at Violent Criminals (Bill 3)—Juvenile Felons and Juvenile Drug Dealers |
I will be re-introducing legislation (HB1001) to address juvenile drug dealers and firearms. Data from the Sentencing Commission shows that offenders with prior juvenile felony drug offenses are more likely than offenders with prior adult felony drug offenses to be re-arrested for a firearms offense, yet the penalties are substantially lower. My bill will enhance the penalties for those people who have (a) major criminal adjudication(s) and choose to illegally carry a firearm. These individuals are up to no good and should go to prison, not merely get a slap on the wrist. To achieve this goal, I will be introducing legislation that will:
Those who are disqualified under the law to carry a firearm because of a prior criminal conviction or adjudication but choose to do so anyway should face serious punishment. In other words, we should fashion legislation that targets criminals. My legislation will do just that. This legislation is supported by the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association and others in the law enforcement community. I believe this is common-sense legislation to ensure the most violent dangerous criminals face appropriate and serious punishment. Prior cosponsors were: BARRAR, COHEN, D.COSTA, HAGGERTY, KORTZ, R.MILLER, QUINN, WATSON, and FARRY |
Introduced as HB1497