[PAFOA Alert] URGENT: PENNSYLVANIA ANTI-GUN PACKAGE VOTE ON TUESDAY AM - 11/15/07

[fultonCoShooter]

Everyone calls and Email and they still vote for the bills

[CCinPA]

Originally Posted by fultonCoShooter

Everyone calls and Email and they still vote for the bills

No, NONE of the bills made it out of committee and HB29 was not approved, it was only approved for it being tabled.

In whole a great grass roots success, now let all of us keep the same passion and let us all keep standing shoulder to shoulder.

[NineseveN]

Originally Posted by fultonCoShooter

Everyone calls and Email and they still vote for the bills

Well, the die-hard anti's were gonna vote for them anyway, no matter what we said or did short of demonstrating the power to remove them from office over it. I think we did pretty good with the fence-sitters and only a few of our own supposedly pro-gun folks chickened out on HB29. Not bad at all considering the way the politics game is played these days.

[liberty556]

What would you propose as the appropriate course of action if your firearm(s) are stolen? I'm sure that you would file a police report, I'm just trying to figure out the rational as to why a particular gun owner would not - besides the fact that the person in question did not want the police to know they even had the gun.

I don't think law abiding gun owners should be charged for failing to report. Perhaps for choosing not to report, but that goes to motive and your point about a crime having been committed already to gain possession of the gun. I guess I will have to read the text more closely to understand the vunerablility.

[PennsyPlinker]

I don't think it is so much that a law abiding owner wouldn't want to file a report. I think it is that the law could easily be abused to make it look like the owner did not file a report soon enough, and is now a criminal because some cop or judge says so. Or perhaps a person might not know it was stolen before it was used in a crime, and now the law is used against that person for that. There are already plenty of laws on the books, more than we need. We don't need any more of any kind when it comes to guns. We need less!

[CCinPA]

Originally Posted by WhiteFeather

A Big THANK YOU to everyone that called and/ or emailed all 29 committee Reps.

WhiteFeather,
Thank you for the insight of events that happened Tuesday and also thank you for attending Harrisburg.

[liberty556]

PennsyPlinker

I agree that we need fewer guns laws and that the law abiding need less red tape to deal with. I certainly don't want people charged for being a victim of crime. It does seem silly to me that a law is needed to enforce reporting when the good people in our society are going to do that anyway. I guess I am looking at this from the perspective that I would report the theft of any of my personal property. The item that was stolen is irrelevant in terms of deciding to calling the police and my insurance company. Something of mine was taken and I want it back.

[nijwnfi]

I think the problem with HB29 is the part that legitimizes a registration for lost or stolen firearms. I know PSP already has an illegal one, but giving a nod to legal registration of any kind is bad.

[liberty556]

nijwnfi

I am 100% against a registry, but if we expect law enforcement to help find our stolen property, they will need a description, serial number, bill of sale, etc... I understand that this type of information can be abused by those against our cause, but if we do not provide law enforcement the information to help find our property, then we can not expect them to help us. I guess the only absolute way to avoid any abuse by the government when a firearm is stolen is to simply make your peace with the fact that your gun is gone and not make any report. I guess this really doesn't matter because if your stolen gun is ever found, it will most likely be found due to a seperate criminal investigation and will be seized as evidence indefinitely.

[Philadelphia]

It is a "camel's nose under the tent" sort of thing.

What I'd suggest is that the reporting of lost or stolen guns issue be used as a chip to obtain some of our other rights back. I'm not sure which ones but let's put that aside for now. As an initial thought, how about giving back the absolute right to carry everywhere not otherwise banned under federal law. How about "stand your ground" legislation and explicit criminal and civil immunity for citizens involved in a "clean shoot."

If the antis want this lost/stolen gun reporting requirement, what are they giving in return? We should never give up any rights or allow any additional legislation without "getting" something in return. Otherwise, it does just whittle away and give us the "death of a thousand cuts" type effect where eventually our rights have dissappeared.

I've already written Ron Marsico about the idea and I'd encourage others to do the same. Never give up any rights without getting something (better) back in return. Make the antis paint themselves as the obstructionists when they won't budge on giving back.