Hatboro Mayor Supports Tighter Gun Control

[AHenshaw]

http://horsham.patch.com/articles/ha...er-gun-control

Hatboro Mayor Norm Hawkes “grew up with guns,” frequently went into the woods of his Hazelton area home to shoot his single-shot rifle and later spent eight years in the military.

Much has changed since then.

“I will not allow a gun in my house,” Hawkes said adamantly. “I guess I matured a little and realized all the problems.”

Do you allow guns in your home -- handguns? hunting rifles? Does it matter? Leave a comment.

Chief among them, Hawkes said, are the thousands of deaths – including last month’s movie theater massacre in Aurora, Colo. - that result from what he characterizes as gun control laws in serious need of tightening up.

“It’s just too easy to get a gun in this country,” said Hawkes, one of more than 700 members of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns coalition.

And while the coalition supports the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding gun owners, Hawkes said its purpose is to close “loopholes” surrounding how individuals obtain guns. James Holmes, for instance, the alleged gunman from the Colorado massacre that killed a dozen people and injured more than 50, purchased multiple guns within a short period of time and bought 6,000 rounds of ammunition online, which, according to Hawkes “should set off a red flag.”

But, what if those flags aren’t in place?

New York and New Jersey lawmakers introduced a bill this week that would prohibit people like Holmes from buying massive quantities of ammunition by mail or online, according to the Washington Post.

Hawkes, a Democrat among the 6-1 Republican-controlled governing body, said his position on firearms changed about 15 years ago when he realized how many people are murdered by guns each year.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a total of 25,423 firearm homicides and 34,235 firearm suicides occurred among U.S. residents during 2006-2007.

Each day 34 Americans die by gun-related violence, according to Mayors Against Illegal Guns. Hawkes, a retired health and physical education teacher of 24 years, likened that number to “three Auroras every single day.”

Nationally, the coalition of which Hawkes is a part, is working on various initiatives aimed at strengthening existing gun control laws. In response to the Aurora tragedy, the bi-partisan coalition, along with survivors and family members of victims of the January 2011 shooting in Tucson, Ariz. called on President Obama and Gov. Mitt Romney to devise a “plan of action to reduce gun violence,” according to the coalition’s Web site.

A petition has been created to show support of that effort.

Romney has said existing gun laws should not be changed, while Obama has indicated that some may need to be strengthened, according to interviews following last month's massacre.

Hawkes said he doesn’t expect either of the presidential candidates to really take a position through this election cycle.

“You have the wrath of the NRA. They’re a very powerful organization,” Hawkes said. “Any legislation that mentions guns the NRA is against.”

In his own locale, Hawkes, under Hatboro’s previous Democrat-controlled council, had faced opposition in his effort to put forth a lost and stolen gun ordinance.

The proposed legislation would have required anyone who had their handgun either lost or stolen to report it to police within 72 hours of that discovery, Hawkes said.

“It’s a common sense law,” Hawkes said. “The police need to know when there’s a stolen weapon out there.”

Hatboro Police Chief James Gardner agreed and said people “should immediately report the gun lost or stolen” regardless if an actual ordinance is in place.

Hatboro Borough Council President John Zygmont said “there has been no consideration given” to Hawkes’ ordinance since it was voted down in 2010.

“I do not see it coming up again,” Zygmont said.

Hawkes said he’s hopeful that better gun control can be realized on the federal level.

“I just hope and pray that whoever becomes our next president tightens up some of our gun laws,” Hawkes said.

[thefirstndsecond]

Sounds like he should be voted out of office.

I will keep this in mind when looking for houses.

[bac0nfat]

The Hatboro police chief refused to sign my NFA forms, if that has any relevance.

[AHenshaw]

Sounds like he should be voted out of office.

I will keep this in mind when looking for houses.

I really love living here. I rent a condo here and its awesome. The majority of the people here are very nice. I have hands down the best landlord anyone could ask for. He should buy and rent out more places. I won't move from here because he is so awesome and the borough is awesome. But this Mayor shouldn't be reelected. We need to keep Hatboro pro-gun. The police here are very nice (for the most part) and know the laws regarding guns. The school district is fantastic. They have gone out of their way to accommodate my oldest son and his special needs. There are a lot more positives than negatives. The Mayor can always be replaced. There are a lot of homes for sale here and some for rent. If you look on the Hatboro-Horsham Patch website they have listings on there.

The Hatboro police chief refused to sign my NFA forms, if that has any relevance.

This police chief?
http://horsham.patch.com/articles/ha...-hometown-hero

[Arcana71]

“I will not allow a gun in my house,” Hawkes said adamantly. “I guess I matured a little and realized all the problems.”

Seriously?

[PocketProtector]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Hatboro Mayor Norm Hawkes View Post
“I will not allow a gun in my house,” Hawkes said adamantly. “I guess I matured a little and realized all the problems.

”Seriously?

My first thought also.....how bout got 'whipped a little....or did something off the chart STOOPID !!

[internet troll]

From the article, this says it all. Considering that State has preemption laws, what he wanted to do is illegal.
Either he knows about preemption and decided to hell with law, he would do what he wants wasting the taxpayers time and money plus treading on their rights.........or he doesn't know about preemption which shows he doesn't know the law, and did not do his research which makes him incompetent and unfit to be a leader.

" In his own locale, Hawkes, under Hatboro’s previous Democrat-controlled council, had faced opposition in his effort to put forth a lost and stolen gun ordinance.

The proposed legislation would have required anyone who had their handgun either lost or stolen to report it to police within 72 hours of that discovery, Hawkes said.

“It’s a common sense law,” Hawkes said. “The police need to know when there’s a stolen weapon out there.”

Hatboro Police Chief James Gardner agreed and said people “should immediately report the gun lost or stolen” regardless if an actual ordinance is in place.

Hatboro Borough Council President John Zygmont said “there has been no consideration given” to Hawkes’ ordinance since it was voted down in 2010.

[bac0nfat]

This police chief?
http://horsham.patch.com/articles/ha...-hometown-hero

Yep, that's the guy. He told me he's a "card carrying NRA member," and "supports the second amendment," but he still refused to sign them.