PA Bill Number: HR518
Title: Designating the month of November 2024 as "Veterans and Military Families Month" in Pennsylvania.
Description: A Resolution designating the month of November 2024 as "Veterans and Military Families Month" in Pennsylvania.
Last Action: Reported as committed
Last Action Date: Sep 30, 2024
Pittsburgh council proposal would ban guns in city parks :: 09/28/2017
Visitors to Pittsburgh’s city-owned parks would have to leave their guns at home under a proposal introduced Tuesday.
Legislation from City Council member Dan Gilman would ban guns from city parks and playgrounds. Language in the bill mirrors a rule governing state-owned parks in Pennsylvania, including Point State Park in Downtown, he said.
Still, the leader of a firearms group said the legislation — if passed — would amount to a criminal act. It would break a Pennsylvania law that designates the state to handle issues involving the right to bear arms, said Kim Stolfer, president of the Firearms Owners Against Crime advocacy group.
“Here we are at political demagoguery. This councilman has no idea about the issues he's talking about,” Mr. Stolfer said.
He said his organization, which operates statewide, or another group would challenge the effort directly. Jonathan Goldstein, an expert in Pennsylvania firearms law who regularly represents the National Rifle Association, said a state statute would render the city legislation “null and void the day they pass it.”
Mr. Gilman said his proposal stems from the appearance of demonstrators with large guns last month in Mellon Park. They appeared amid a feared racist march outside Google offices in nearby Bakery Square. The anti-Google event didn’t materialize, but the others showed up to practice “community self-defense,” an organizer said at the time.
That show of arms on city park property surprised Mr. Gilman, the councilman said.
“Our parks are a unique space that we treat uniquely under city code because of the kids’ sports activities and the playgrounds that are there — recognizing that children are different,” he said. “There’s no smoking in city parks, yet you can do that in the rest of the city. You can’t have open flames …”
He continued: “But there’s nothing about weapons. I don’t think kids playing T-ball on a Little League field need to have people with assault rifles over their shoulder standing by them.”
Rules governing state parks include allowances for hunting with firearms. Councilman Corey O’Connor, who chairs a city committee on recreation, said he anticipates a couple amendments to Mr. Gilman’s legislation after discussions with the state Game Commission.
The city expects to acquire a roughly 600-acre, undeveloped parcel in Hays that will involve wildlife and gaming rules, Mr. O’Connor said.
“Overall, I think we want to keep people safe in our parks,” he said. “When people are out there, we want them to feel safe and secure because parks are family-friendly, and it’s a great environment for residents of Pittsburgh to enjoy.”
But Mr. Stolfer said banning guns in city parks would strip people of self-protection.
“It’s a rejection of law and common sense,” he said, calling the proposal “a despicable act of political cowardice.”
Mr. Gilman said he was reviewing legal concerns. He’s also looking at state code to see how it may address the subject, he said.
Council is expected to discuss his proposal during its 10 a.m. meeting Oct. 4. Timothy McNulty, a spokesman for Mayor Bill Peduto, said he expects the mayor would support the legislation.
“We’ll have to see what comes out of council,” Mr. McNulty said.
Adam Smeltz: 412-263-2625, asmeltz@post-gazette.com, @asmeltz.
