Penalties for illegally possessing firearms may get stiffer in Philadelphia.
Legislation is being introduced in both the Pennsylvania General Assembly and the State Senate to impose a mandatory minimum sentence of two years for possessing a gun without a license in Philadelphia.
“This is legislation that is being asked for, that is being advocated for by law enforcement around the country and around the commonwealth,” state Sen. Larry Farnese (D-Philadelphia), one of the proposal’s sponsors, said at a press conference introducing the bill.
Philadelphia is plagued with gun violence, having experienced 331 homicides in 2012, 86 percent of them committed with firearms.
“Not one of those homicides committed with a handgun was committed by a person that lawfully possessed the firearm,” Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams said at the press conference.
Under current state law, people must have a license to carry a firearm on public property or public streets in Philadelphia. In other parts of the state, however, there is no license requirement to carry a weapon openly. The proposed bill would increase the punishment for illegal possession of firearms, bumping the crime from a misdemeanor to a felony.
The bill is modeled after a similar law in New York City, which imposed a mandatory minimum sentence of three and a half years for illegal possession. Advocates for the Philadelphia bill cited that law as the reason for a precipitous drop in the murder rate in New York.
Philadelphia and the state of Pennsylvania have a tumultuous history regarding gun control. In 2009, state courts struck down several laws that the City of Philadelphia enacted to restrict gun ownership, including a statute that would limit people to one handgun purchase per month.
Much of the state — especially rural regions — is staunchly pro-gun. The Pennsylvania constitution severely limits the gun control measures individual cities can enact. However, a state-level ordinance would bypass constitutional concerns over gun laws.
Additionally, advocates have claimed that the proposal does not constitute any increase in gun control. “This is not a gun bill. This is a crime-fighting tool that the police in Philadelphia and district attorneys in Philadelphia desperately need,” state Rep. John Taylor (R-Philadelphia), the bill’s General Assembly sponsor, said at the press conference.
Concerns have been raised — particularly by 1961 College graduate and state Sen. Stewart Greenleaf (R-Montgomery), chair of the judiciary committee — that a mandatory minimum sentence would unfairly punish people who do not use their guns for crime.
“There is a responsibility when it comes to owning a gun, just like [owning] a car or the responsibility [students have] when they enroll in college,” Cameron Kline, a spokesperson for Farnese, said. “We believe that you — as a responsible firearm owner — you follow the laws and have nothing to worry about.”
On the federal level this week, the Senate is set to debate a bill to reform gun laws, which includes a bipartisan proposal for universal background checks championed by Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.).
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