Five gun-control measures unanimously passed by City Council and signed into law last Thursday by Mayor Michael Nutter have been met with heavy opposition throughout the past week.
The laws prohibit the possession of an automatic weapon within Philadelphia, limit the number of firearms an individual can purchase to one a month, mandate that owners of lost or stolen guns report the loss within 24 hours and ban persons with orders of protection against them from owning guns.
But opponents of gun control question the city's authority to regulate firearms. A 1996 decision by Pennsylvania's Supreme Court provided the state legislature with the sole authority to regulate the sale and possession of firearms.
The National Rifle Association has filed a lawsuit over the laws. In court yesterday, Common Pleas Judge Jane Cutler Greenspan ruled against Nutter and blocked enforcement of the laws.
"We got a temporary restraining order," said Gregory Isabella, owner of the South Philadelphia gun store Firing Line and a co-complainant in the NRA lawsuit.
District Attorney Lynne Abraham said this week that she could not enforce the laws.
But some say the state legislature's unwillingness to pass gun control measures may have prompted Nutter's decision.
Johnna Pro, a spokeswoman for State Representative Dwight Evans - who has been one of the strongest supporter of gun control in the state legislature - said Evans "is keenly aware that city residents and counsel are at their wits end and he's certainly not going to criticize Mayor Nutter or City Council."
Pennsylvania gun control advocates have been demanding action from the state legislature.
"We have a growing coalition of law enforcement and mayors from around the state who are urging the General Assembly to pass handgun control laws," said Joe Grace, executive director of CeaseFire PA.
Pro also criticized other state legislators for not moving forward with gun control measures.
"We need commonsense gun laws," she said. "Unfortunately we have legislators at the state House who are out of touch with what the public wants."
Nutter signed the measure into law 10 days after a bill that would require firearm owners to report a lost or stolen handgun was defeated in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives by a vote of 75 to 122.
The NRA and Nutter's office did not return calls for comment.
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