Wednesday, April 17, 2013
The Senate rejected Pat Toomey's attempt to expand background checks via a controversial gun control amendment voted on Wednesday afternoon.
U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey sounded unconcerned in a conference call Wednesday when a reporter asked about the possibility that his NRA rating would be downgraded because of his recent compromise move on gun control. "This is not about the NRA or politics for me," Toomey said. The Toomey-Manchin amendment to expand background checks was narrowly defeated in the Senate on Wednesday afternoon. The vote was 54 yes to 46 no. Sixty votes rather than a simple majority were needed to pass the amendment. Toomey issued this statement just after the vote: “I did what I thought was the right thing for our country. I sought out a compromise position that I thought could move the ball forward on an important matter of public safety. My only regret is that our…
Friday, April 5, 2013
Risa Ferman says it could reduce violence in Montco.
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Friday, April 5
Delaware Valley politicians ban together to fight to get tougher gun laws. The district attorneys in the Greater Philadelphia area have put their heads together to find ways to restrict illegal weapons in the region. Risa Vetri Ferman, Montgomery County District Attorney, told Nesworks that "the legislation could also help reduce violence in [Montgomery County] areas." According to a report by WHYY, Ferman has "joined a bipartisan contingent of lawmakers to discuss new state legislation setting a mandatory minimum two-year sentence for illegally carrying a firearm in Philadelphia." To read the full report and all the bill entails, visit the Newsworks story here.
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Many Montco politicians are pushing for measures that seem to fall flat in state legislature.
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Thursday, April 4
As Connecticut passes its laws to restrict gun purchases with stricter policies, similar bills in Pennsylvania's legislature are falling flat. Local rallies have been hosted in Montgomery County, and its representatives are voicing the concerns. State Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-153) of Montgomery County, has worked with state Rep. Steve Santarsiero (D-31) and state Rep. Ron Waters (D-191) on a series of bills, including the banning of assault weapons called House Bill 517, according to a report in PhillyBurbs.com. Restrictions are not just being called for one one side. Todd Stephens (R-151), a former Assistant District Attorney in Montgomery County, has introduced House Bill 931, to "require the Pennsylvania State Police to send all existing …
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Speakers say they aren't interested in taking away anyone's right to own firearms legally. Gun rights advocates there to protest the rally were not convinced.
More than a dozen local politicians, law enforcement officers and gun control supporters took to the steps of the Montgomery County Courthouse on Thursday afternoon to call for what they say is "commonsense" gun legislation requiring universal background checks for anyone wishing to purchase a firearm in any situation. The rally was organized by Mayors Against Illegal Guns (MAIG) and a local group called Lower Merion United in conjunction with a "National Day to Demand Action" on behalf of gun control legislation. "We believe that the way to prevent gun violence is for all of us to have the courage to reach out to one another," said Shawn Kraemer, one of the organizers of the group. Other speakers included Montgomery County Commissioners' …
40.116063
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Montgomery County Courthouse
493 Swede St, Norristown, PA
/articles/gun-control-supporters-call-for-universal-background-checks-at-courthouse-rally
1266307
/locations/9122882
Norristown's interim Chief of Police Willie Richet and Montgomery County Commissioner Josh Shapiro are expected to lead the call to end gun violence and 'support commonsense gun laws' as part of a "National Day to Demand Action."
The debate over gun control continues in the county seat as both Norristown's interim Chief of Police Willie Richet and Montgomery County Commissioner Josh Shapiro are expected to take to the steps of Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown at 2:30 p.m. today, Thursday, March 28 to call for an end to gun violence and urge lawmakers to pass gun safety legislation like universal background checks. The planned rally is part of a "National Day to Demand Action" organized by Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a bipartisan gun violence prevention advocacy organization co-chaired by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino. There are similar events planned in more than 100 towns and cities across the country today, …
40.116063
-75.34366
Montgomery County Courthouse
493 Swede St, Norristown, PA
/articles/gun-control-rally-planned-for-montco-courthouse-thursday-afternoon
1266307
/locations/9118649
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Meanwhile, a Republican-sponsored bill named for a popular caliber of handgun would seek to prevent any federal gun control legislation from being enforceable inside Pennsylvania.
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Tuesday, February 19
Citing the December shooting deaths of a classroom full of Connecticut first graders as a last straw, Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-153) of Montgomery County has entered the the national gun control debate by co-sponsoring legislation that would "ban the possession, use, control, sale, transfer, or manufacture of an assault weapon within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania." The bill, H.B. 517, defines as assault weapon as any "selective-fire firearm capable of fully automatic, semi automatic or burst fire at the option of the user." It also lists a roster of specific semi automatic gun models that would be prohibited. Republican state legislators have vowed to stall the bill, which Dean sponsored along with Rep. Ronald G. Waters (D) of Delaware …
Monday, February 18, 2013
A Pennsylvania tot gets suspended from kindergarten.
On the heels of the events at Sandy Hook, a shooting at an elementary school in Connecticut, the nation has been abuzz with gun control debates. This weekend, USAToday reported that a Pennsylvania girl, waiting for her bus to kindergarten, was suspended from school for her actions. "Waiting in line for the bus, a Pennsylvania kindergartner tells her pals she's going to shoot them with a Hello Kitty toy that makes soap bubbles," said the article. The act landed the 5-year-old Eastern Pennsylvania girl in for suspension, as her district cited "terroristic threats" as its reasoning. Can a 5-year-old commit a terroristic threat? Are our schools going too far? Are they not going far enough? Voice your concerns, in favor of or against the act, …
Thursday, January 24, 2013
The State Police have complied with State Rep. Todd Stephens' request to have mental health records included in a national gun check database.
It took 18 months, but State Rep. Todd Stephens said the Pennsylvania State Police have begun sending the mental health records of people prohibited from buying firearms to a federal database. Stephens (R-151) of Horsham, has been working for a year and a half to prevent what he calls a “loophole” pertaining to the inclusion of mental health records in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). Without that inclusion, Stephens said anyone from Pennsylvania who has been involuntarily committed, or found to be mentally deficient - and thus ineligible to buy firearms - could travel to another state and buy a gun. Earlier this month, Stephens said he intended to introduce legislation that would require that the state's …
Friday, January 18, 2013
As Capitol Hill debates gun control, sales and registrations in the county are booming.
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Friday, January 18
Business is booming. Those in the gun-selling industry are finding a good deal of action in Montgomery County. According to an article in the Pottstown Mercury, the counter in spots like the French Creek Outfitters has seldom dropped below a dozen customers all day long. In the wake of the debates on Capitol Hill and President Barrack Obama's recommendations on gun control, the sales and registrations in the county have been on the rise. Many makes and models are sold out at local gun shops. "When asked about AR-15 rifles, one employee shook his head. 'We’ve been sold out of those for weeks,' he said," quoted the Mercury article. Many local vendors are noting the sales went up more after Wednesday's statements by the president. "Gun shops …
40.29545
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341 Salford Station Rd, Perkiomenville, PA
/articles/gun-sales-in-montgomery-county-on-the-rise
/locations/8627543
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Walmart enters the discussion on gun control with the White House. Roughly half of its stores remain stocked with firearms to sell to the public. Locally, guns are available at a few firearm dealers
The gun control discussion continues in Washington, D.C. and Walmart is sending their own to take part in it. Walmart is sending representatives to meet with President Barack Obama and his administration on Thursday, this after the corporation acknowledged that it underestimated the U.S. administration’s expectations in the talks. According to the Huffington Post, Walmart also acknowledged publicly that it has been talking with the White House and Congress ever since the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting. Walmart sells firearms at more than 1,750 of its about 2,600 U.S. stores, according to the article. Citing customer demand, firearm sales were brought back to about half of Walmart stores in the U.S. in 2011, following a five-year hiatus on …
Micky
8:47 pm on Saturday, April 20, 2013
You know, a lot of what I see on here is bitching and whining about this bill not passing. Guess what: SUCK IT THE FUCK UP! Long story short, we win, you lose. Get over it. Bitching isn't going to make you any less of a loser on this issue. Period. more ›