SB531 correspondence Sen Santarsiero UPDATE

Good Afternoon Mr. (Handyandy)



Thank you for calling our office this morning. As you know, SB 531 would allow PA gun owners or organizations with members who are PA gun owners to sue local municipalities that enact firearm ordinances that are more strict than state law.



In the Senate Local Government Committee last week, Sen. Santarsiero proposed an amendment that would exempt municipal property, such as libraries and parks from the bill, which would allow a municipality to enact an ordinance prohibiting firearms on such property. Sen. Santarsiero’s amendment was not supported in committee and the bill was voted out of committee 7-4 with Sen. Santarsiero voting in the negative.



Again, thank you for reaching out to our office. Please let me know if you have any questions or would like to provide your thoughts on the bill.



Sincerely,



CORY J. SMITH

Legislative Director | Office of Senator Steve Santarsiero

Executive Director | Senate Communications and Technology Committee

Mr. Smith,

Thank you for getting back. Please inform the senator that his exceptions create a situation that makes the public less safe. There is no valid reason why a park or library should be a "gun-free zone." the majority of rapes, robberies and mass shootings take place in "gun-free zones." The aggressor can be confident that they will not meet a force-equal resistance, especially given the element of suprise they already have.

Furthermore, exceptions to the laws clearly laid out in the state Constitution regarding firearms restrictions are a non-starter to begin with.
Section 6120 Title 18 lays it out quite clearly:

"No county, municipality or township may in any manner regulate the lawful ownership, possession, transfer, or transportation of firearms, ammunition, or ammunition components when carried or transported for purposes not prohibited by the laws of this commonwealth."

To the intent of SB531, I see no reason why a local government should not be held accountable for any attempt to violate the laws they swore to uphold. Civil suit would be a good place to start. Criminal charges, in my opinion, are warranted. The rules must apply equally to both the government and the governed.

I did come to see the senator at his office on Monday, though he was not in. I asked the secretary for a simple account of the numbers of calls/letters/comments from his constituents who were in favor or opposed to the bill as it stood. She said you were the person able to provide those numbers. Something as simple as "##-Yay, ##-Nay" would suffice.


Thank you again for the reply.

Best Regards,
(Handyandy)
Lower Makefield Township


FOLLOW UP:

Good Morning,



Thank you for your concerns on this issue. I will continue to keep Sen. Santarsiero informed on the feedback from his constituents, especially on issues such as these. The bill has yet to come up for a vote before the full Senate. However, please feel free to follow the bill on our state website below and I will do my best to reach out with the vote count once it occurs:



https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs...&type=B&bn=531



Thank you,



CORY J. SMITH

REPLY:

Mr. Smith,

I wasn't looking for a vote count, I know where to find that information when the vote happens. I would like a figure on how many phone calls, emails, letters etc Sen. Santarsiero received from his constituents regarding this bill, and # in support/# opposed.

I would assume his offices keep track of that information.

Thanks again

SS RESPONSE: (note the change in professional tone)

We had 1 letter opposed and 1 letter in support. This bill came up relatively quickly in committee so that may be a reason for not getting as much feedback from constituents as we normally do on other issues.

REPLY :

Mr. Smith,

What about phone calls? I called both the local and Harrisburg office, and I know several others who made calls as well. Is that information not recorded? Is letter writing the only communication that holds weight?

Best Regards,

SS RESPONSE:

Good Morning,


Yes, sir. I apologize, that’s just what I’ve received in Harrisburg. Our district offices have received 130 e-mails in support and 20 in opposition to Sb 531.

Well done.

My Senator took 6 paragraphs to tell me to fuck off.

I knew mine was good to go since he was a co-sponsor but I emailed him anyways.

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Hello Mr. Alpaca,

Thank you for reaching out to our office regarding Senate Bill 531. Senator Regan has co-sponsored this legislation and is a proud supporter of the 2nd Amendment. He carries an A+ rating with the NRA. If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact our office.

Have a great day,

Joyell Junkin
Office of Senator Mike Regan

Post #2 has the conversation so far. Should my response be anything besides, "WHO THE FUCK IS HE REPRESENTING? 4 TO 1 IN FAVOR IS OVERWHELMING SUPPORT AND HE VOTES NO?"

I guess since he didn't get his bullshit exceptions through, he feels entitled to ignore the people he represents.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Handyandy

Post #2 has the conversation so far. Should my response be anything besides, "WHO THE FUCK IS HE REPRESENTING? 4 TO 1 IN FAVOR IS OVERWHELMING SUPPORT AND HE VOTES NO?"

I guess since he didn't get his bullshit exceptions through, he feels entitled to ignore the people he represents.

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Nice work not letting him off the hook. The answer may be that Bloomberg's minions contribute 4 to 1 for the Senator to vote no. I am only half kidding. The pro-2A community may not be perfect in organization but from what I observe, we are always about 4-1 at least over the antis.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Wilderness 1864

Nice work not letting him off the hook. The answer may be that Bloomberg's minions contribute 4 to 1 for the Senator to vote no. I am only half kidding. The pro-2A community may not be perfect in organization but from what I observe, we are always about 4-1 at least over the antis.

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That's depressing. Dude needs to go, or I'm not paying taxes next year.

Nicely done. Unfortunately these days, it seems like it takes a significant amount of work to get people to the reveal the facts, let alone act on them. I may be dreaming a bit, but it sure would be nice to see politicians to take the term "representative" seriously and literally.