Court splits on Philly gun laws
A Pennsylvania Appeals Court has struck down two gun laws passed by Philadelphia’s City Council, while upholding three others.
A Pennsylvania Appeals Court has struck down two gun laws passed by Philadelphia’s City Council, while upholding three others. The appeals court ruled that state law pre-empts the city’s bans on assault weapons and straw purchases, a term for buying on behalf of someone who’s not allowed to buy a gun.
Scott Shields is the Bucks County attorney who filed the challenge on behalf of the National Rifle Association.
Shields: The state has made it clear that in the area of gun legislation, the state is the sole authority on passing those types of laws. And one of the primary reasons for doing that is so that you don’t have a patchwork of laws throughout the commonwealth.
Gun control advocates were pleased that the court turned back NRA challenges of three other Philadelphia gun laws. One requires gun owners to notify police when a gun is lost or stolen, another lets police temporarily seize guns from people they consider dangerous threats, and the third law would keep people with orders of protection from abuse against them from buying a gun.
Philadelphia officials say only the reporting provision is in effect.
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