Township owned park and "no weapons" rule

[StonewallRabbitry]

The Springfield Township park has "No Weapons" as part of their rules and regulations sign, I gave them a call today and the only one there was the secretary/treasurer. I told her about the sign and that it was not allowed read off to her: "Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes Title 18, PA Crimes Code, §6120. Limitation on the Regulation of Firearms and Ammunition precludes the regulation of “the lawful ownership, possession, transfer or transportation of firearms, ammunition or ammuni¬tion components when carried or transported for purposes not prohibited by the laws of this Commonwealth” by counties and municipalities."

She says that she thinks that the signs just mean no discharge of weapons but that is to "hard" to put on the sign. Someone else from the township is supposed to call me back about my "complaint" so we will see what they have to say. I also told her about how the county had "no weapons" on the county Rail Trail and after calling them they promised to paint over the no weapons part as soon as it got warmer (it was winter), a couple months later it was painted over on every sign I have seen

[TheF00L]

Grats on the rail to trail success! Keep at them in a polite manner and you should prevail again.

[Curmudgeon]

Where is the park? What County or town?

[StonewallRabbitry]

It is in York County, Springfield is the town

[orangejeep54]

So even township owner property has to abide by those rules? Out township here has a bunch of "open space" that you are not allowed to have any weapons on. I assumed since the township owned the property they could make the rules?

[Curmudgeon]

So even township owner property has to abide by those rules? Out township here has a bunch of "open space" that you are not allowed to have any weapons on. I assumed since the township owned the property they could make the rules?

No they cannot. They are in violation of preemption.

[West Chester]

18 Pa.C.S. § 6120: Limitation on the regulation of firearms and ammunition
(a) General rule.--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.

Why do these little townships think they are above the law?

[StonewallRabbitry]

When I first said preemption she had no idea what I was talking about.I told her what it was and that towns/city have lost in court, That is when she said that she thought it just meant no discharge of weapons and asked if I had a problem at the park. I told her I didn not have a problem but that the sign was still illegal and needed to be removed, I just think the small townships do not have a legal adviser when they make rules and they have no idea of the laws.

[dgood71]

Keep in mind that many townships enacted ordinances to ban firearms from parks before the preemption law was passed in (IIRC) 1995. Therefore they might not even be aware that they're violating state law now.

I wrote a letter to my township explaining the law and requesting their ordinance be changed; within two months or so it was.

[FUNDAMENTALS]

Even the smallest Borough, Township, has a Solicitor. Just ask them who
it is. The various Borough and Township codes provide for that office
and the duties thereof.