PA Bill Number: HB829
Title: In preliminary provisions, further providing for definitions;
Description: An Act amending the act of April 12, 1951 (P.L.90, No.21), known as the Liquor Code, in preliminary provisions, further providing for definitions;
Last Action: Signed in House
Last Action Date: Jul 3, 2024
Pennsylvania: Gun safety group: Thanks to 2018 law, Pennsylvania up one spot, to 12th in nation on scorecard :: 03/03/2019
A gun safety organization has given Pennsylvania a higher grade on its “gun law scorecard” compared with last year, ranking the state 12th on the strength of its gun laws and other factors.
The Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence bumped up the state's grade from a C last year to a C+ this year. The center was named for former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords, who survived an assassination attempt in 2011, following the merger of her gun safety organization and another group in 2016.
In a statement, the Giffords Law Center explained the improvement by saying that Pennsylvania “strengthened its gun laws in 2018 by prohibiting firearm possession by individuals who have been convicted of domestic abuse or are subject to domestic violence protective orders, and requiring those individuals to relinquish their firearms.”
Those changes were included in a bill passed by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Tom Wolf in October.
However, the Giffords Law Center said the state “could further raise its grade and save lives by allowing local governments to regulate firearms and enacting extreme-risk protection order legislation.”
Wolf said in a statement to The Times that he was pleased with the efforts being made but that more work needs to be done
“I am proud that last year Pennsylvania enacted its first gun safety bill in decades, but the Tree of Life shooting reaffirmed to me that we must do more,” Wolf said, referencing the Oct. 27 mass shooting at the Pittsburgh synagogue that claimed 11 lives.
“We must keep guns from dangerous individuals. No gun should be sold anywhere without a background check,” Wolf said. “And, we must have an honest conversation about the ease by which anyone can get a weapon designed for warfare. I am hopeful that we can continue to make progress on improving public safety and reducing gun violence.”
Gun violence claims more than 1,500 lives in Pennsylvania annually, about one victim every six hours, the center said, adding that the cost of gun violence in the state is $8.5 billion, or $665 for each resident.
While 25 states received an F last year, that decreased by three this year. Neighboring West Virginia remained at an F, and Ohio held steady with a D. Other states bordering Pennsylvania fared better, with New Jersey receiving an A (up from an A- last year), and New York (A), Maryland (A) and Delaware (B) remaining unchanged from last year.
Pennsylvania's ranking of 12th for its gun-safety laws was up one from last year's grades. The full report is available at lawcenter.giffords.org/scorecard/.
As it does every year, the center said its data show that states with weaker gun laws typically have the highest gun death rates while states with tougher laws have the lowest rates.
Of the 10 states with the lowest gun death rates, seven received grades of B+ or better and all have approved background checks on at least some gun sales. Conversely, the 10 states with the highest gun death rates all received F's on the scorecard.
https://www.mcall.com/news/nationworld/pennsylvania/mc-nws-pa-gun-law-scorecard-20190224-story.html
