Philadelphia gun law survives for now
Friday, June 11th, 2010
By: Shai Ben-Yaacov
sben-yaacov@whyy.org
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court made a ruling this week that keeps a Philadelphia gun ordinance alive for now. The local law makes mandatory the reporting of lost or stolen handguns. It's unclear whether this ruling will allow Philadelphia to pass its own gun laws in the future.
The court's action is a mixed bag for Philadelphia. By declining to hear appeals by both the city and the pro-gun lobby, the court in effect made a partial ruling on the issue of municipalities passing their own gun laws.
Ceasefire PA Executive Director Joe Grace says the court let the current law stand, but it won't necessarily do that for future legislation.
"That's what the city of Philadelphia would have preferred to see the Supreme Court address in its appeal, but again, the Supreme Court has declined to take either one of these appeals."
Philadelphia city council has passed five local gun ordinances. The courts struck down two of them. One would have banned the sale of so-called 'assault-weapons.' The other limited how many handguns a person could buy each month. The courts say only the state can pass such laws.