PA senators split over concealed weapons

On Wednesday the Senate voted down a proposal would have would have allowed gun owners with valid permits from one state to carry concealed weapons in other states.

Pennsylvania’s senators split their votes on a concealed weapons amendment. On Wednesday the Senate voted down a proposal would have would have allowed gun owners with valid permits from one state to carry concealed weapons in other states. With pressure coming from both sides, Senator Arlen Specter voted against the measure while Senator Bob Casey voted for it.

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A coalition of Mayors and gun control advocates encouraged lawmakers to oppose the bill, while the National Rifle Association monitored the votes to see which way the lawmakers voted.

Lara Brown is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Villanova University.

Brown: One of the things that’s so important for Senator Casey and many of these conservative Democrats is that it’s important for them to represent their rural constituency and also to position themselves as conservatives – to be able to symbolically say and sometimes obviously substantively – that I am different from the mainstream Democratic party.

In a statement, Senator Specter said he opposed the measure because he believes states need to prescribe their own rules for carrying a concealed weapon.