alan
Member
Poster's note:
Re comment from Mayor Nutter, he mentioned "machineguns", I do not recall any mention in the public press of such, and I suspect that there would have been mention, lots of mention, had any been used. As to the SKS Mayor Nutter mentioned, it is simply a SEMI-AUTOMATIC RIFLE/CARBINE. It isn't a "machinegun", it isn't an "assault rifle" ether.
Re comment from Rep. Dan Frankel (Pittsburgh), and his stated, frequently stated desire to ban the sale of assault weapons in Pennsylvania, the gentleman has repeatedly been either unable or unwilling to specifically define or describe the manufactured product, what he describes as "assault weapons", which he would ban the sale of. Seems to me that an educated man, Frankel is one such, who has obtained elective legislative office, and wishes to ban some manufactured product should be willing and able to specifically define/describe that item. That Frankel either cannot or will not so do tends to raise serious question, for instance exactly what are his ultimate goals, where is he going with this "assault weapons" business?
Re the official anti gun lobby, we know what their goals are, they have been telling us what they are for years, The Total Proscription of Firearms, Except For Government Actors. As to their apparatchiks, people such as Rep. Frankel and Mayor Nutter, one might assume similar goals. So might I suggest that readers keep and eye pealed, get on to their state elected things, and pay attention to what is ongoing, lest something nasty sneak up behind you, and take a big bite out of your basic civil rights.
Philadelphia's mayor joins fight to ban sale of assault weapons in Pa.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
By Tom Barnes, Post-Gazette Harrisburg Bureau
HARRISBURG -- Philadelphia's new mayor, Michael Nutter, is joining with two Allegheny County legislators to push for new state laws aimed at reducing gun violence on Pennsylvania streets.
But with the political power that sportsmen, hunters and the National Rifle Association have in the General Assembly, everyone admits it won't be easy to enact the measures.
Mr. Nutter, a Democrat who took office in January, spoke to the Pennsylvania Press Club here yesterday, advocating bills sponsored by two Pittsburgh-area Democrats, state Reps. Dan Frankel of Squirrel Hill and David Levdansky of Forward.
Mr. Frankel wants to ban the sale of assault weapons in Pennsylvania -- a state law that would make up for the expiration in 2004 of a federal ban on selling such weapons. He says there is no reason why any law-abiding gun owner needs an assault weapon.
Mr. Levdansky wants to require gun owners to report any lost or stolen handguns within 72 hours of noticing the loss. Such weapons often wind up in the hands of criminals and are used in violent crimes, and police say it would help them to know when the gun disappeared.
Gun owners who "lose" their weapons sometimes sell them to criminals in exchange for illegal drugs, police say.
One gun, from a home in Perry County, outside Harrisburg, recently ended up in the hands of one of three men charged with killing a Philadelphia police officer in early May. Mr. Nutter, along with Gov. Ed Rendell, a former Philadelphia mayor, and other Philadelphia officials are still upset about that.
Mr. Nutter said there is no reason why machine guns and assault weapons like the SKS paramilitary carbine that killed the Philadelphia policeman should be sold in Pennsylvania.
"This isn't just a Philadelphia or Allegheny County issue," he said. "It affects many towns and cities in the state."
In Philadelphia, which has seen about 400 gun-related deaths in each of the last two years, city council recently approved five municipal gun-control bills that Mr. Nutter signed into law. Pro-gun groups have taken the city to Common Pleas Court, contending that only the state Legislature, not individual cities, towns or counties, has the power to enact gun-control laws.
Mr. Nutter said he supports people's right to bear arms under the Second Amendment, but, "with rights come responsibilities," and he sees no reason for assault weapons to be sold. "They aren't used for hunting or sport or target practice," he said.
But even pressure from Mr. Rendell hasn't been able to get the House Judiciary Committee to vote on the Levdansky or Frankel bills, and with the huge volume of legislation due to come up in June, led by debate on a $28.3 billion state budget for 2008-09, it seems unlikely that the gun control bills will see action.
On another matter, Mr. Nutter said he isn't sure when Philadelphia's two giant casinos, SugarHouse and Foxwoods, will open. Some observers think it could be as late as 2011. Without them in business, Pennsylvanians won't see the maximum amount of revenue for property tax relief.
Mr. Nutter said the casinos still face legal, historical and environmental challenges, along with opposition from citizen groups. There is a possibility that an old British fort may be under one of the sites.
Some citizen groups contend the gambling parlors will be too close to houses and schools and will worsen the already heavy traffic in the areas along the Delaware River where they are to be built.
Harrisburg Bureau chief Tom Barnes can be reached at [email protected] or 1-717-787-4254.
First published on May 28, 2008 at 12:00 am
Re comment from Mayor Nutter, he mentioned "machineguns", I do not recall any mention in the public press of such, and I suspect that there would have been mention, lots of mention, had any been used. As to the SKS Mayor Nutter mentioned, it is simply a SEMI-AUTOMATIC RIFLE/CARBINE. It isn't a "machinegun", it isn't an "assault rifle" ether.
Re comment from Rep. Dan Frankel (Pittsburgh), and his stated, frequently stated desire to ban the sale of assault weapons in Pennsylvania, the gentleman has repeatedly been either unable or unwilling to specifically define or describe the manufactured product, what he describes as "assault weapons", which he would ban the sale of. Seems to me that an educated man, Frankel is one such, who has obtained elective legislative office, and wishes to ban some manufactured product should be willing and able to specifically define/describe that item. That Frankel either cannot or will not so do tends to raise serious question, for instance exactly what are his ultimate goals, where is he going with this "assault weapons" business?
Re the official anti gun lobby, we know what their goals are, they have been telling us what they are for years, The Total Proscription of Firearms, Except For Government Actors. As to their apparatchiks, people such as Rep. Frankel and Mayor Nutter, one might assume similar goals. So might I suggest that readers keep and eye pealed, get on to their state elected things, and pay attention to what is ongoing, lest something nasty sneak up behind you, and take a big bite out of your basic civil rights.
Philadelphia's mayor joins fight to ban sale of assault weapons in Pa.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
By Tom Barnes, Post-Gazette Harrisburg Bureau
HARRISBURG -- Philadelphia's new mayor, Michael Nutter, is joining with two Allegheny County legislators to push for new state laws aimed at reducing gun violence on Pennsylvania streets.
But with the political power that sportsmen, hunters and the National Rifle Association have in the General Assembly, everyone admits it won't be easy to enact the measures.
Mr. Nutter, a Democrat who took office in January, spoke to the Pennsylvania Press Club here yesterday, advocating bills sponsored by two Pittsburgh-area Democrats, state Reps. Dan Frankel of Squirrel Hill and David Levdansky of Forward.
Mr. Frankel wants to ban the sale of assault weapons in Pennsylvania -- a state law that would make up for the expiration in 2004 of a federal ban on selling such weapons. He says there is no reason why any law-abiding gun owner needs an assault weapon.
Mr. Levdansky wants to require gun owners to report any lost or stolen handguns within 72 hours of noticing the loss. Such weapons often wind up in the hands of criminals and are used in violent crimes, and police say it would help them to know when the gun disappeared.
Gun owners who "lose" their weapons sometimes sell them to criminals in exchange for illegal drugs, police say.
One gun, from a home in Perry County, outside Harrisburg, recently ended up in the hands of one of three men charged with killing a Philadelphia police officer in early May. Mr. Nutter, along with Gov. Ed Rendell, a former Philadelphia mayor, and other Philadelphia officials are still upset about that.
Mr. Nutter said there is no reason why machine guns and assault weapons like the SKS paramilitary carbine that killed the Philadelphia policeman should be sold in Pennsylvania.
"This isn't just a Philadelphia or Allegheny County issue," he said. "It affects many towns and cities in the state."
In Philadelphia, which has seen about 400 gun-related deaths in each of the last two years, city council recently approved five municipal gun-control bills that Mr. Nutter signed into law. Pro-gun groups have taken the city to Common Pleas Court, contending that only the state Legislature, not individual cities, towns or counties, has the power to enact gun-control laws.
Mr. Nutter said he supports people's right to bear arms under the Second Amendment, but, "with rights come responsibilities," and he sees no reason for assault weapons to be sold. "They aren't used for hunting or sport or target practice," he said.
But even pressure from Mr. Rendell hasn't been able to get the House Judiciary Committee to vote on the Levdansky or Frankel bills, and with the huge volume of legislation due to come up in June, led by debate on a $28.3 billion state budget for 2008-09, it seems unlikely that the gun control bills will see action.
On another matter, Mr. Nutter said he isn't sure when Philadelphia's two giant casinos, SugarHouse and Foxwoods, will open. Some observers think it could be as late as 2011. Without them in business, Pennsylvanians won't see the maximum amount of revenue for property tax relief.
Mr. Nutter said the casinos still face legal, historical and environmental challenges, along with opposition from citizen groups. There is a possibility that an old British fort may be under one of the sites.
Some citizen groups contend the gambling parlors will be too close to houses and schools and will worsen the already heavy traffic in the areas along the Delaware River where they are to be built.
Harrisburg Bureau chief Tom Barnes can be reached at [email protected] or 1-717-787-4254.
First published on May 28, 2008 at 12:00 am
