Pennsylvania AG race one of sharp divide over gun policy

[NRA Member]

Pennsylvania AG race one of sharp divide over gun policy

http://www.guns.com/2016/10/17/penns...er-gun-policy/

The two candidates vying to become the Keystone State’s top law enforcement officer have very different views on gun control.

Replacing outgoing Attorney General Kathleen Kane — the first Democrat ever elected to the position and now on her way to jail on felony perjury charges — will be either fellow Democrat Montgomery County Commissioner Josh Shapiro or Republican state Sen. John C. Rafferty Jr. Both men are from the Pittsburgh area but come with opposing viewpoints on gun politics.

Shapiro, in an editorial penned earlier this year for The York Daily Record, promised to implement “model gun show procedures” to crack down on sales in parking lots as well as prosecute prohibited firearms purchasers who fail background checks to buy guns while planning to step up straw purchasing awareness.

Moving past that, he wants to review Pennsylvania’s concealed carry reciprocity agreements and sever those he finds do not mirror the state’s own guidelines for issuance. A similar move by Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring earlier this year sparked outrage among gun owners and conservative lawmakers there and was quickly rolled back.

Next on Shaprio’s list are expanded background checks to cover private sales of long guns. The state currently has a mandate that requires only checks on the private transfers of handguns.

Finally, he wants statewide lost or stolen gun requirements to give cover to municipalities who recently repealed local ordinances under now-stricken Act 192 and avoid having to reestablish them.

This has won him (Josh Shapiro) support from CeaseFire Pennsylvania who only spoke with Democratic candidates before making their endorsement. National gun control groups to include Everytown and Moms Demand Action also are throwing weight behind Shapiro. Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has dropped at least $250,000 into the pot for the candidate, helping to push him to a 4-to-1 funding lead over his opponent.


“John Rafferty, Jr. has a proven record of support for the Second Amendment and the rights of law-abiding citizens,” said Chris W. Cox, chair of the NRAs’ Political Victory Fund. “It is critical that Pennsylvania elects an attorney general who is willing to stand up to the extreme anti-gun agenda that’s being pushed by political elites like Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and Michael Bloomberg.”

As for Rafferty, the former Pennsylvania Deputy Attorney General points to his prosecutorial and legislative record to show he is tough on crime. He cites that he was instrumental in the passage of the Brad Fox Law that raises penalties for firearm straw purchasers. Fox was a police officer in Plymouth Township who was fatally shot by a man using a gun illegally purchased for him and to date several straw purchasing cases have been tried under the new mandate.

This is tempered with a “no-politics” pledge he has issued to enforce state law as written while working to combat Pennsylvania’s heroin problem, target child predators and increase school safety.

He is also a fan of strong state preemption laws, which would halt local gun control ordinances.

“Whatever the laws are throughout the Commonwealth, they should be consistent throughout all 67 counties,” said Rafferty on WITF’s Smart Talk. “If that’s going to happen, then the legislature would have to take up that initiative and the legislature would have to pass it to get it to the governor for his signature.”

Rafferty is well-liked by gun rights groups including the National Rifle Association who have given Shapiro a “D” grade on Second Amendment issues while awarding the Republican an A-.

[31ST MEUSOC]

Well this is an easy one Vote Republican!

[Hodgie]

When is the vote for the new AG Nov 8th?

[Wildbill990]

When is the vote for the new AG Nov 8th?

According to google, yes.

[Hodgie]

According to google, yes.

Thanks. Until now I have not heard or seen one thing about this election anywhere.

[Emptymag]

Buh-bye private sales.

I knew it was coming, but hoped it would be a while longer.

Our only hope is that this other criminal-democrat does not get elected, but I'm not holding my breath.

[Wildbill990]

Buh-bye private sales.

I knew it was coming, but hoped it would be a while longer.

Our only hope is that this other criminal-democrat does not get elected, but I'm not holding my breath.

Do you think Rafferty really has no chance at winning? Also does the AG have the power to make changes like that?

[Hodgie]

Do you think Rafferty really has no chance at winning? Also does the AG have the power to make changes like that?

Look at the mess the Massachusetts AG has created in the last few months. Is it all legal? That I don't know but it's going to be tied up in court for years.

[God's Country]

The AG can't change the UFA.
It's all BS.

Regardless get ready for a Dem AG again.

We got Kane because all the Pa assholes pulled the D lever because voting a split ticket requires reading.
Since HRC is likely to win expect the same result.

Besides Toomey is going to end private sales. He wants it.

[Hodgie]

Man you guys are a rough crowd. Coming off a complete democratic disaster like Kane and the fact he has been doing the job already might give Rafffery the upper hand. I guess we will find out in a couple weeks.