Share:
House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2021 - 2022
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | July 22, 2021 02:53 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Angel Cruz |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | The Firearm Registry Act |
| So many of our communities are flooded with stolen firearms and the violence that they bring. Nearly one-third of guns recovered at Pittsburgh crime scenes were found to have been stolen in a recent study, and more than 43,700 firearms were stolen across the Commonwealth between 2012 and 2017. Yet Pennsylvania law does not require the loss or theft of a firearm to be reported to law enforcement – hampering their efforts to trace firearms recovered from crime scenes. My legislation will require that all firearms be registered with the Pennsylvania State Police and that any lost or stolen firearm be reported within 48 hours of the discovery. No individual would be permitted to own, sell, transfer or accept a firearm unless they have applied for and received a registration certificate for each firearm in their possession. A registration certificate would only be issued to Pennsylvanians who are eligible to own a firearm under Federal and State law and who have not been convicted of a violent or recent drug-related crime. These are critical tools that our law enforcement needs to solve gun-related crimes and to support the identification and prosecution of violent criminals and those who evade the law. Nearly 1,600 Pennsylvanian lives are lost to gun violence each year. This vital legislation will ensure that firearms only end up in the hands of those authorized to own them and that any firearm used in a crime is quickly and reliably traced. |
Introduced as HB1810