HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) - After years of a virtual standstill on all things gun control, new legislation is inching its way through the State Capitol.
Four bills, all along party lines, passed through the House Judiciary Committee Wednesday.
Democratic Rep. Tim Briggs, who chairs the committee, said the legislation shouldn't be partisan — but it is.
"These bills focused on analyzing and stigmatizing legal behavior today, and turning into criminal and bad behavior in the future," House GOP Spokesperson Jason Gottesman said.
But Briggs said doing nothing is no longer an option.
"Our community is scared and gun violence is increasing every day throughout Pennsylvania," Briggs said.
The four bills aim to accomplish the following:
- Require gun owners to keep a lock on their firearms
- Close the gun show loophole on background checks
- Require gun owners to report their guns lost or stolen within 72 hours, or risk a misdemeanor charge
- Create Red Flag Laws, which would allow a judge to temporarily seize a firearm from an individual experiencing a major mental health crisis
"We should be focusing on supporting our police and prosecutors to make sure we can get violent criminals off the street," Gottesman said. "[What] this does is criminalize and stigmatize legal gun ownership."
The legislation could be voted on by the State House as early as this week. Even if it passes, it will likely face an uphill battle in the Republican-controlled Senate.
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