REP. DWIGHT EVANS JOINS GOV. RENDELL AND PENNSYLVANIA MAYORS URGING LEGISLATURE TO ADOPT COMMON SENSE HANDGUN POLICIES
HARRISBURG, May 21 - State Rep. Dwight Evans will join Gov. Edward G. Rendell and mayors from the Pennsylvania League of Municipalities at noon Tuesday, May 22, 2007, in the Governor's Reception Room to urge the legislature to adopt common sense handgun policies. The event marks the first time the Governor, Evans and the League have stood together to promote common-sense handgun policies for Pennsylvania.
Evans, the legislature's leading authority on handgun and violence issues, has advocated for stronger handgun laws for more than a decade; the Pennsylvania League of Municipalities last year adopted a formal position on various pieces of legislation; and Gov. Rendell has, most recently in his budget address, urged the legislature to take action.
Among the legislation Rendell, Evans and the Mayors support are measures that limit the sale of handguns to one per month; require gun owners to report lost or stolen weapons with 24 hours; and give communities the authority to regulate their own gun laws
WHO: Gov. Rendell, Dwight Evans, Mayors call for common sense gun policies.
WHEN: Tuesday, May 21, 2007
TIME: Noon
PLACE: Governor's Reception Room
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Governor Rendell Joins Pennsylvania Mayors in a Call to Action Against Gun Violence
HARRISBURG, Pa., May 22 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Governor Edward G.
Rendell joined with mayors from across Pennsylvania today to call upon the
General Assembly to address the growing trend of violence with common-sense gun laws.
   
"From Scranton to Carlisle, York to Philadelphia and Lancaster to
Pittsburgh, our mayors know first-hand the devastation that illegal guns
and straw purchasers are having in our neighborhoods and communities," the
Governor said. "As these mayors know -- because they are here -- this is
not just a Philadelphia or Pittsburgh problem."
   
Gun violence is a statewide problem that knows no geographical
boundaries. In 2005, the rate of gun homicides rose twice as fast in the
rest of the state as it did in Allegheny and Philadelphia counties.
Eighty-three percent of all homicides in Harrisburg, Pittsburgh, Reading
and York were committed with firearms. And, on average, more than one
person is killed each day in Philadelphia, usually with a firearm.
   
Governor Rendell commended the Pennsylvania League of Cities and
Municipalities, which organized today's event. In January, the group formed a gun violence task force to focus on finding common ground among its varied members to make a difference in Pennsylvania's communities.
   
"The League's commitment to finding common-sense solutions to a
statewide problem, while putting aside partisan difference, is admirable,"
the Governor said.
   
Between 2005 and 2006, robberies with firearms were up 77 percent in
Erie, 57 percent in Allentown, 36 percent in Williamsport, and 28 percent
in Reading, the Governor said.
   
The Governor urged the General Assembly to:
 
    -- Help prosecutors lock up "straw purchasers" by requiring lost and
       stolen guns to be reported to law enforcement.
    -- Enable local communities to enact their own restrictions on the flow, distribution and use of handguns.
    -- Upgrade the penalty for possession of a stolen gun to a felony, and
    -- Reduce gun trafficking by enacting a one handgun a month law.
   
"Such legislation will put a stop to gun runners -- the so-called 'straw purchasers' who sell so many of the guns used in crimes -- and it will put no burden on lawful gun owners who can still purchase 12 handguns a year -- or 24 handguns if they are married," he said.
   
The Governor said Pennsylvanians overwhelmingly support tougher laws to
control the availability of guns. According to a recent survey by Lake
Research Partners, 71 percent of Pennsylvania voters -- and 61 percent of
gun owners -- support a statewide limit on handgun purchases to one handgun per month. The survey found that 81 percent support legislation requiring gun owners to report lost or stolen guns.
   
The Rendell administration is committed to creating a first-rate public
education system, protecting our most vulnerable citizens and continuing
economic investment to support our communities and businesses. To find out
more about Governor Rendell's initiatives and to sign up for his weekly
newsletter, visit his Web site at: http://www.governor.state.pa.us.

GOVERNOR AND COMMONWEALTH MAYORS RALLY AGAINST GUN VIOLENCE
5-22-07
By Heather Hottle, PLS intern
 
Governor Ed Rendell, several mayors and legislators met today to rally for the legislature to act on current proposed legislation that will limit gun purchases to one handgun per month, end straw purchasing, enable local communities to enact their own handgun restrictions and upgrade the penalty for possession of a stolen handgun.
 
"None of us are against second amendment rights," Governor Rendell said. "The legislation will hurt no one but the gun trafficker, someone who is making money off of someone else's misery. We're not asking for the moon here."
 
Gov. Rendell also noted that many Pennsylvanians, 71%, support a limit on the number of guns a person can purchase to one per month and 81% of Pennsylvanians support legislation requiring gun owners to report lost or stolen guns.
 
"People of Pennsylvania get it, they're not stupid," Gov. Rendell said. "It's tough to get 71 percent of the people of Pennsylvania to agree on anything."
 
He also reported that between 2005 and 2006, robberies with firearms were up to 77 percent in Erie, 57 percent in Allentown, 36 percent in Williamsport and 28 percent in Reading.
 
"It's time for everyone to bite their lip, suck it up and do the right thing here in Harrisburg," the Governor said.
 
Other speakers at the rally included Reading Mayor Thomas McMahon, Philadelphia Mayor John Street, Rep. Dwight Evans (D-Philadelphia) and Rep. Dan Frankel (D-Allegheny).
 
Mayor Street spoke about the costs of gun violence, saying that in Philadelphia's five year plan, $25 million will be taken from the police department alone to control gun violence.
 
"Those costs are in the Governor's budget, they're in our budget, they're in the budget of everyone that's here today, because everyone must pay," Mayor Street said.
 
He went on to point out that 97 percent of Pennsylvanians support House Bill 29, legislation that provides for a registry of stolen or lost guns.
 
"Illegal guns from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania find themselves everywhere," Mayor Street said. "We have the negative distinction for being a mecca of the illegal spreading of guns."
 
After the rally, the participants answered some questions from the press:
 
Some of these proposals have been on the table for quite a while now, to the extent that you believe anything has changed, what has changed that makes the effort more likely now then it was five years ago?
Governor Rendell responded that there has been growth in the number of deaths resulting from firearms and the problem is not just a Philadelphia and Pittsburgh problem anymore because gun violence problem is everywhere. He said the spread of guns is all over the state, which is evident in crime after crime. He also commented that if the correct measures had been taken in Virginia, the shooter at Virginia Tech would not have had access to guns.
 
What on the political and strategic end of things has changes to make you more optimistic?
Governor Rendell responded that as long as the problem is isolated, the legislation is dead in the water, but gun violence is a problem all across the state. He used mass transit as an example, saying it is no longer just an issue in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, but also in smaller places like Altoona.
 
Rep. Evans offered that no one said this would be changed overnight and not to underestimate the power of the Governor. He continued that in his 27 years, Governor Rendell is the first governor he has seen take a lead and initiative. It starts with raising awareness, this is just the beginning, he remarked.
 
Christopher Doherty, the Mayor of Scranton, said as mayors, they all have an obligation to their respective cities. He said if they did not take action, tonight, someone else would get shot and if the problem is not addressed, "Shame on us." He concluded that crime does not know borders and gun violence effects economic development.
 
As you stated earlier, the legislature is under control of the NRA, what evidence is there to prove that the legislature is under control of the NRA?
Governor Rendell said it is evident because receiving a stolen TV has more of a penalty than receiving a stolen gun. He continued that when your car is stolen, you are required to report it, but a person has no duty to report a stolen gun. He continued to say that these pieces of legislation are basic elemental things and the legislature won't act upon them. He concluded by saying that when the tidal wave comes, it wipes everything away and that "we are close."
 
Philadelphia mayor John Street said there were three things that will help ease this problem: the fact that this isn't just a big city problem anymore, the economic impact of proliferation of guns is going to cause people to reconsider, and educating citizens on gun laws. He said that when the dam breaks, it's just going to break and that people are going to say enough is enough and you can feel a sense of movement on the issue.
 
Rep. Babette Josephs (D-Philadelphia) added that she bets none of the participants standing at the rally were endorsed by the gun lobby or gun manufacturers. She said voters do not want candidates in this state who are endorsed by the gun lobby.
 
Gun rights advocates say it's not about passing new laws but enforcing old ones.
Governor Rendell agreed that old laws need to be enforced. He noted that when he was mayor of Philadelphia, he worked with the NRA to enforce the existing laws and worked to send people to federal court. The Governor also stated that there is no slippery slope with these pieces of legislation that the rally is pushing towards. "Everybody here is for better enforcement of existing laws, we're for more police and more effective courts," he said.
 
Reports prepared by PA Legislative Services for PFSC
 
Links to several articles on the press conference:
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_509021.html
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/200..._gun_sales.html
http://www.ydr.com/newsfull/ci_5966402
http://www.pennlive.com/news/patriotnews/index.ssf?/base/news/1179885338198730.xml&coll=1