This is from the AP
Rendell to Press Lawmakers for New Gun Laws
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - November 16, 2007 - Gov. Ed Rendell, hoping to inject fresh drama into the stalled debate over gun control in Pennsylvania, plans to personally address a House committee considering several bills he says are crucial to reducing gun violence.
An appearance by a sitting governor before a committee is so rare that some of the longest serving legislators and staff members could not remember another such time. At Rendell's request, Rep.
Thomas Caltagirone, D-Berks, the House Judiciary Committee chairman, will bring up three bills for a vote Tuesday after members listen to the governor.
Rendell, a former Philadelphia mayor, makes the appearance on the heels of a spate of shootings of police officers in his hometown, one of them fatal. Officer Chuck Cassidy was shot in the head when he walked in on a doughnut shop robbery Oct. 31 and died the next day. A suspect was arrested days later.
Rendell and other mayors from around the state maintain that the bills are critical to stemming a rise in gun-related crimes.
However, the governor faces a steep challenge with the bun bills. The Legislature has opposed tougher state gun-control laws, and the National Rifle Association opposes the bills.
John Hohenwarter, an NRA lobbyist, said curbing gun violence will require tougher enforcement of existing gun laws and expanding outreach to troubled youth.
Similar versions of all three bills met defeat in the House last fall. One of those bills, which would require gun owners to report lost or stolen firearms and create a state police database to track the missing weapons, was rejected by the committee on June 27. The measure was struck down by a 17-11 vote, with the help of five of Rendell's fellow Democrats.
Another bill would outlaw the purchase of more than one handgun every 30 days in Pennsylvania.
The third bill would let Philadelphia write its own firearm laws, and would allow any other county or municipality to do the same, if local voters approve. Currently, only the state Legislature can write such laws.
November 17th, 2007
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