Hazleton Mayor Understands Gun Rights

**schr8er2000** · July 22nd, 2009, 05:29 AM

Posted in todays Hazleton Standard Speaker...

Barletta not among gun-control coalition
By KELLY MONITZ (Staff Writer)
Published: July 22, 2009

More than 100 Pennsylvania mayors joined a coalition opposing illegal guns and supporting legislation to toughen gun laws to prevent crime and senseless deaths in their communities.

Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta is not among them.

The national coalition, Mayors Against Illegal Guns, has more than 450 mayors on board nationwide, while the state coalition has grown to more than 100 in recent weeks.

The coalition recently took out full-page advertisements in the state's largest two newspapers urging Senators Arlen Specter and Bob Casey to oppose concealed weapon legislation and supported Philadelphia's gun control laws, which have come under fire by the National Rifle Association (NRA).

Two of Philadelphia's measures, including a ban on assault weapons and limiting gun purchases to one a month, were shot down by Commonwealth Court.

Three others, though, were upheld. They include a mandate on reporting stolen weapons to prevent them from being sold illegally to criminals, another allowing police to temporarily seize handguns where the owner has been found to be a danger to himself and one to remove weapons where the owner has been named in a protection from abuse (PFA) order.

Wilkes-Barre Mayor Tom Leighton and Pottsville Mayor John D.W. Reilly are among those mayors who have joined in the fight against gun violence.

Hazleton has seen its own share of gun violence in recent months, including a number in which the shooter remains at large.

Two men were shot outside a downtown bar, La Cantina, by an assailant a half-block away on July 4 and three wounded when a man pulled a gun outside a Diamond Avenue club in early May. Shots have also been fired inside restaurants, on city streets and into homes.

Barletta, however, sees gun control laws as a "slippery slope," which could lead to further restrictions on the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens.

"I support the Second Amendment," he said. "I believe people have the right to protect their homes. I don't think it's the guns that are causing the crime. It's like blaming matches for causing arson. Bad people will always find guns.

"Criminals love gun control, because it makes their job safer."

The city's police chief, Robert Ferdinand, looks at gun control laws individually, weighing pros and cons in the measures, he said.

"I believe in legislation that makes sense when it comes to gun control," he said. "From the little that I have read, it appears that the Philadelphia ordinances upheld by the Commonwealth Court were very reasonable and do not prevent law-abiding people from owning firearms."

Barletta said he'd need to look at the measures before commenting, but added that he understands the reasoning behind some of the laws.

The fear is that once legislators "begin with gun control, they'll keep going," Barletta said.

The ads by the Mayors Against Illegal Guns directly target a bill proposed by Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., that would allow gun owners to carry concealed firearms into states with similar gun regulations. That bill is expected to be voted on today in the Senate. Specter plans to vote against the bill, according to a news release on his Web site Tuesday.

"From my own experience growing up in Kansas and being District Attorney of Philadelphia, I know states need to prescribe their own rules for carrying a concealed deadly weapon," Specter wrote in a news release. "This is the essence of federalism. My vote against the Thune Amendment will not limit the constitutional rights of hunters and gun owners. Pennsylvania already recognizes concealed carry permits from 24 other states where their laws are similar."

kmonitz@standardspeaker.com

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I WILL be contacting his office later today to thank him for understanding the ramifications of this bill and knowing that legal, law abiding, citizens rights do NOT stop at state lines...

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**wheeling365** · July 22nd, 2009, 05:50 AM

Its nice to see that Mayor Lou is taking a stand on these issues. I've worked at a local bar in town as a doorman and do admit that illegal guns are around but honestly if its an illegally owned gun no law is going to stop the owner from using it for illegal reasons. It all spins back to the illegal immigrants as well as the influx of people from bigger metro areas coming to the area and bring the scum with them. Alot of these people were a nobody in a place like Philly Or NYC but come to a small town and think the power of a gun makes them a somebody in a small town.

**Exbiker** · July 22nd, 2009, 06:27 AM

Lou is a really decent guy. Our little group had him down to Saylorsburg twice for supper and he spoke very frankly about his views. He is definitely old school conservative and will get my vote for whatever he chooses to run for.

**cgbudde** · July 22nd, 2009, 09:30 AM

Lou has always been one standup guy. That is why I have always worked to help his campains, and will continue to do so.

Paul when you call his office congradulate him on becoming a grandpa.