Metcalf Legislation

[rwilson452]

Metcalfe Unleashes Double-Barreled Legislative Assault
to Keep Second Amendment Liberty in PA Second to None

For the latest Second Amendment legislative updates or to sign the “No New
Gun Controls” petition visit RepMetcalfe.com.

HARRISBURG— Representative Daryl Metcalfe (R-Butler) joined with a united
coalition consisting of fellow pro-gun lawmakers, leading state and national
Second Amendment advocates and hundreds of gun owners and outdoorsmen from
across the Commonwealth today to unveil a landmark package of Second Amendment
rights protection legislation in the Capitol Rotunda.

Endorsed by Gun Owners of America, Firearm Owners Against Crime, PA
Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs, PA Sportsmen’s Association, the Allegheny County
Sportsmen’s League and many others, Metcalfe’s first bill would prohibit
Pennsylvania law enforcement organizations from maintaining registries or
databases of legal firearm purchases. Most notably, House Bill 1161 would require
the State Police to halt its current practice of maintaining an active data
base on handgun sales by law-abiding citizens. Those records include
personal information about gun owners such as mailing addresses and Social Security
numbers.

“The theme of the 2007-08 legislative session in one word has been Reform,”
said Metcalfe. “The reform we need is for our government to realize that
they are not our master, that they are not our partner, but they are our
servant. Our government must protect our liberties and ensure that our Second
Amendment Liberties Remain Second to None.

“A major part of this type of government reform involves ensuring that all
government agencies responsible for enforcing the law, also abide by the law.
Prohibiting the present State Police bureaucracy from keeping any type of
gun registry or data base of law abiding citizens will provide another
invaluable safeguard to ensure that our fundamental Second Amendment rights to keep
and bear arms will remain intact, regardless of whose sitting in the governor’
s office or what activist judicial, ‘Black Robe’ is sitting behind bench,”
added Metcalfe.

Prior to 1995, the State Police were allowed to retain registries of
applications/records of gun sales for six years. In 1997, the General Assembly
enacted Act 5 to require the applications/records of sale to be completely
destroyed after 72 hours. However, one year later the State Police admitted that
they were still maintaining permanent records of handgun sales despite the
no-registry stipulations set forth by Act 5 on the highly questionable grounds
that they were keeping a “database” and not a “registry.” This policy was
controversially upheld by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court a few years later.

Under Representative Metcalfe’s legislation, any individuals who are caught
maintaining an illegal gun registry or database would be guilty of a third
degree felony and could be fined up to $5 million. Exceptions to this new
law, among others, would include: records of firearms used in crimes, records
of stolen firearms, records of firearms sales retained by firearm dealers and
certain Pennsylvania State Police records concerning instant background
checks.

Successfully advanced for future House consideration during last year’s
Committee of the Whole on Violent Crime, Representative Metcalfe’s, second piece
of pro-Second Amendment legislation would provide potential victims of
domestic abuse with an emergency license to carry a firearm.

“Contrary to the misinformation disseminated by gun-grabbing legislators and
the mainstream media, innocent lives are needlessly lost any time government
takes unnecessary action to take away the Constitutional rights of
law-abiding citizens to defend themselves, their families and private property against
violent criminals,” said Metcalfe. “Allowing potential domestic abuse
victims to obtain an emergency right to carry permit will only add to the
affirmative cache of intellectual ammunition already proving that firearms are
effectively used in acts of self defense no less than 2.5 million times per year
across the United States.”

Under House Bill 1160, any individual who can demonstrate evidence of
imminent danger to themselves or a member of their family would be entitled to a
temporary emergency license to carry a firearm after passing a computerized
background check of criminal history, juvenile delinquency and mental health
records. The temporary license would be good for 90 days to allow sufficient
time to apply for a regular license to carry a firearm and undergo the
potential 45-day waiting period for a license to carry under current state law.

Representative Metcalfe also joined with Representatives Russ Fairchild
(R-Snyder/Union) and Dick Stevenson (Mercer/Butler) in support of legislative
proposals to implement the “No Duty to Retreat” Castle Doctrine (House Bill 641)
to fully restore the legal ability of law-abiding gun owners to use lethal
force to defend themselves outside of their homes, businesses automobiles or
in state parks against violent criminals and to eliminate redundant background
checks (House Bill 1092).


“Again, the purpose of the legislation introduced during today’s rally is
to make Second Amendment Liberty in Pennsylvania Second to None,” said
Metcalfe. “History and violent crime statistics from around the world confirm two
undisputable truths in this regard: the safest societies are armed societies;
and, citizenries deprived of their right to own firearms by their governments
have been denied the most effective means to defend themselves against those
who seek to do them harm.”

[JustinM]

I met Daryl tonight at work and invited him to the PAFOA. He was on one of the PCNC shows and stood up for out @A rights when the gun control topic cameup. He's an awesome guy.

[KeithPA]

http://www.pafoa.org/forum/pennsylva...n-support.html

SB-738 isbasically the same thing. Glad to see reps from both houses are taking up this issue. I will definately alter senate letter and send it out to the house rep. Thanks for that article.