State College wants to preempt law

[tntblaster]

Did I read this right? Borough wants support from local cities/municipalites govt to preempt state law? How is this possible?


http://www.centredaily.com/2011/04/0...-in-parks.html

Borough Council voted Monday night to go in a different direction than discussed in other Centre Region municipalities regarding the issue of firearms in parks.
It approved sending a resolution to the Central District meeting of the Pennsylvania League of Cities and Municipalities later this month, requesting it support legislation prohibiting firearms in municipal parks and buildings, treating them like courtrooms and schools under state law.
The issue arose in the region when Tim Havener, president of the central chapter of the political action committee Firearms Owners Against Crime, sent letters and visited municipal meetings to tell local officials that the group thinks local ordinances prohibiting residents from carrying firearms in parks are against state law.
The law says counties, municipalities and townships may not regulate the lawful ownership and possession of firearms for purposes allowed by state law. It also says, in the section regulating hunting, that no one may hunt or discharge a firearm in a public park.
Since receiving Havener’s letters, municipal solicitors have considered the discrepancy. Bellefonte Borough Council, at its March 21 meeting, approved changing that borough’s ordinance to comply with state law.
State College Borough Council discussed the issue at a March work session and decided against changing the borough’s ordinance, instead agreeing to the resolution.
Councilman Peter Morris called it a “very good” idea.
“In my own perfect world … what we would have is a situation where we could trust the legislature in Harrisburg to pass decent gun control laws, or they could give us the power to pass our own gun control laws,” he said.
Several townships have discussed using consistent language and changing their ordinances.
College Township Manager Adam Brumbaugh said Monday that staff from College, Ferguson, Harris and Patton townships have discussed the issue and hope to finalize ordinance changes in the next few weeks. He said the direction his Township Council gave was to make modifications to comply with state law.
“Within the next few weeks we had anticipated doing something a little more formal, in the collective, to make sure that we had consistency in the language,” Brumbaugh said.
He wasn’t sure if State College’s action Monday would have any impact on College Township’s direction on the issue.

[camper]

Those who are supposed to enforce the rules, often consider themselves above them.

camper

[Xringshooter]

If you noticed, all of the surrounding townships started looking at changing the ordinance once it was pointed out to them that they were in violation of state law. The borough thinks they are better than everyone else and I think they mostly all wear rose colored glasses. I don't really care what Peter Morris wants "in his perfect world", state law (and it states it clearly), says you won't write laws that go against what the state says. IMO the borough council is way too close to the liberals at Penn State and have that academia "I'm better than the common folks because of my education" mentality.

When I started it with College Township (before I was a member of FOAC) some council members poo-pooed what I said. Then they got the second dose when Tim (FOAC central chapter President) sent out the letters and went to the meetings and specifically showed them where the were in violation to the law and also explained "official oppression" to them, their eyes were opened wide and they are now in serious discussions with their solicitors about changing the ordinance.

We will win this battle, State College borough will lose (either they change the ordinance to comply with state law, or something will happen and they will end up losing a lawsuit).

[B2Luv2Hunt]

Looks like a trip to a State College meeting is in the future.

[Chief Lobo 00]

they are mostly Liberals there my b/f was a professor for a while there and the powers to be at Penn State Univ. wanted him to sell his guns and quit shooting ...he teaches somewhere else now...

[legendarylorot]

Looks like a trip to a State College meeting is in the future.

I'm down, if I can get enough free time or someone to watch the kid.

they are mostly Liberals there my b/f was a professor for a while there and the powers to be at Penn State Univ. wanted him to sell his guns and quit shooting ...he teaches somewhere else now...

Univeristy Park is... very different from State College. I suggest being here over the summer vs. the school semesters. When the students aren't about, and the PSU administration is relaxing, the area is quite conservative- very much the opposite of PSU. That really doesn't help the already high townie-student tensions, over which gun control is a very hot-button topic.

Even among the students, there's a significant portion who will support us. There's usually a few empty holster demonstrations per year, and there are fraternities and clubs dedicated to hunting and the shooting sports, down to a competition rifle team. While I have to admit that the pro-gun students are the minority, it's by a slim margin. It's the faculty you have to watch out for. And by faculty I exclude everyone labeled "staff", and mean only the professors and administrators.

SCPD, PSUPD, and surrounding township PDs are on our side, for the most part (not that I'm speaking for them, of course). My personal experience with each of them is that they're VERY far from anti-gun. I OC around here all the time, and the only time I get more than a glance and a smile is from officers I've worked with in the past, and those conversations have only once even mentioned my gun. Students usually give a look and their version of heightened SA. The issue is the SC borough council, who are in the PSU administration's pocket; the University likes to brag about how much the locality relies on their support to remain "recession-proof". Most of the council folks will do anything to make PSU administration happy.

ETA:
I'm strongly considering sending a letter out to the Collegian to get some more support. I think a headline "State College Seeks to Violate State Law" might help.

Another Edit: Looks like I was a day late: today's Collegian briefly mentions it at the bottom of an alcohol control article almost as a footnote

[lardmonkey2]

This doesn't really surprise me at all. Being that i am a student at Penn state I've found that there aren't really that many anti students. There are just a lot of students who don't seem to really care one way or the other. i have a few friends who do shoot and hunt but there aren't that many. I have some other friends that i am currently trying to convert but that takes some time; fortunately that is one thing that i do have.

[Howard Bullock]

As I read the article I saw that they want to get support for legislation at the state level to support their position.

It approved sending a resolution to the Central District meeting of the Pennsylvania League of Cities and Municipalities later this month, requesting it support legislation prohibiting firearms in municipal parks and buildings, treating them like courtrooms and schools under state law.

This to me seems to indicate that are looking for support for more control at the state level or a loosening of state law to permit them the ability to regulate.

[Tomos]

they are mostly Liberals there my b/f was a professor for a while there and the powers to be at Penn State Univ. wanted him to sell his guns and quit shooting ...he teaches somewhere else now...

that's pathetic, makes me sad my son will be attending penn state berks campus in the fall, but it's hi decision and future and i'm not suggesting he go to Upenn with philly being worse than penn state.

[bricktop]

This is coming from an area where this just happened: http://www.centredaily.com/2011/04/0...in-sexual.html

What? Personal protection? Nonsense, you don't need that.