Review and reappraise legislation

[Brick]

Jumping from crisis to crisis gets tiring doesn't it?
But now that HB 18, 22 & 29 have been beaten back for this session...

lets look at some bills that are still working their way through the system.

HB 784 - Target dealers and individuals operating as straw purchasers. Increases penalty to a mandatory 5 years. Athorizes Pa Commission on Crime and Deliquency to start an advertising campaign.

HB 785 - Targets those who use a a stolen or illegal firearm (or replica) in the commission of a crime. Mandatory 7 year sentence. Currently in Appropriations Committee.

HB 1068 - Establishes the "Safe Neighborhoods Program" and providies funding. Akin to the "Project Exile" state - federal program in Virginia. Local prosecutors become "Assistant U.S. Attys" and prosecute GCA '68 violations as Federal beefs. (Note, even though I don't like the idea of using state resources to do the Feds work, I believe getting more straw purchasers and felons in possession into federal custody is a good thing)

HB 1198 - Establishes Illegal Firearm Task Force as local Police/Prosecutor entity and provides funds. Can you say the word BOONDOGGLE?

HB 1212 - Increases penalties for convicted felon in possession of firearms. See HB 1068 above why should the state compete with the feds?

HB 1733 - requires PSP to establish & maintain a registry of stolen & lost guns, but does NOT include mandatory reporting provisions.

HB 1927 - Clarifies the issue of making false statements on Federal forms as a state offense.

[NineseveN]

Tagged for future reading...

[Agent Smith]

Originally Posted by Brick

HB 785 - Targets those who use a a stolen or illegal firearm (or replica) in the commission of a crime. Mandatory 7 year sentence. Currently in Appropriations Committee.

I support this one. This is the route that law makers need to go in rather than attacking our right to keep and bear arms. Go after the criminals and make the punishment more harsh.

[Brick]

Originally Posted by Agent Smith

I support this one. This is the route that law makers need to go in rather than attacking our right to keep and bear arms. Go after the criminals and make the punishment more harsh.

I am with you on mandatory sentence requirements, but I believe the legislators should add a requirement that the offense MUST be prosecuted, no plea-bargains allowed! Also there are provisions in UFA (sorry but I can't cite the section at this time) that allow (but should be changed to require) the prosecution and civil suit of the supplier of a crime gun under certain circumstances. In other words if thug A lends or sells a handgun to thug B for a robbery thug A can be charged with the robbery also, plus he is open to civil suit by the victims.

[Murf_The_Surf]

Originally Posted by Agent Smith

I support this one. This is the route that law makers need to go in rather than attacking our right to keep and bear arms. Go after the criminals and make the punishment more harsh.

I agree with you we need to punish criminals; however, I respectfully disagree that singling out guns is good policy.

First, antis argue that guns are inherently evil because they are designed to kill people. Gun specification laws bolster that flawed argument. Gun specification laws incorrectly stigmatize guns.

Second, what sense does such a law make? Take a crime such as murder. Is a murderer more a murderer because he uses a gun instead of, say, a kitchen knife? Is a murder victim MORE dead because he was killed with a gun? Is a murder victim LESS dead if he is killed with something other than a gun? No, murder is murder, regardless of what a killer uses to accomplish his evil deed.

The punishment for any particular offense should be meted out according to the crime, not according to some politically correct calculus that says guns are inherently evil, and their very use is a crime in and of itself, deserving an extra specification.

In addition, we need to be careful what we ask for. The time may well come when you unknowingly commit some technical violation that inadvertently activates the mandatory specification. What maybe should have been a small fine and suspended sentence suddenly becomes 7 years of bad luck.

Don’t think it can happen? Ask one of the many victims of these hang ‘em high laws who now suffer lifelong loss of gun rights because of a non-physical shouting match with their spouse, or because they stole a pack of gum or a case of pop when they were a young teenager, before misdemeanors were graded according to severity. Ask one of the prison inmates who didn’t know that a souvenir bullet would bring a mandatory sentence for any disabled person who possessed it, even if that person was disabled for technical, not violent, reasons.

Besides, a year after the new high ‘em high law goes into effect, and people are still killing each other in Philly, what will we do then? Penalties can be increased only so far. Eventually, when we are giving lethal injections to ordinary shoplifters, we may have unbridled law and order, but we won’t have much justice. I personally prefer law and order with justice.

We know that guns don’t cause crime; complex sociological factors explain the sharp difference in crime rates between Philadelphia and places like Hermitage. Demonizing guns with hang ‘em high laws may make us feel good when they are first passed, however, such laws spell trouble for us on down the road.

[larrymeyer]

It doesn't appear to be over (HB 18,22 and 29)

This is from another web site

He (insert Randell) is planning another attack on of before Dec 10th by organizing together all the anti-mayors of PA of another round for a political push for anti gun legislation.

And on channel 10's news in Phila on the 20th after the vote he said and I quote

"We're not going away. we will be back again because we need these gun laws"