The city of Philadelphia filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the state of Pennsylvania in an attempt to pass more restrictive gun control laws. The lawsuit attempts to invalidate state regulations set forth in the Pennsylvania Uniform Firearms Act.
Philadelphia Sues State for More Restrictive Gun Control Laws
Brought forth for both Philadelphia and Pittsburgh residents, sponsors filed the lawsuit in the Commonwealth Court, reported whyy.org. The announcement came at Philly’s Happy Hollow Recreation Center; it’s a purported location with “historical rates of gun violence in the area.”
“The simple reality is what we’re asking for from the commonwealth is completely reasonable,” Patricia Gillett, a spokesperson for Council President Darrel Clarke, told whyy.org.
Many gun owners will likely question reasonableness in a blatant attempt to skirt state law. Even though state lawmakers represent a state with high rates of gun ownership, city officials are attempting to make up their own more restrictive infringements upon the Second Amendment.
“If [Harrisburg lawmakers] are going to abdicate their responsibility and their duty to save the lives of constituents through common sense policy, then they need to let other elected officials step up at the local level to do that duty,” Adam Garber, executive director of CeaseFire PA, one of the plaintiffs, told whyy.org.
The lawsuit, less than one month before the Nov. 3 presidential election, comes at an interesting time. Pennsylvania promises to figure prominently as a swing state once again. Now gun control pushes into the spotlight. Meanwhile, Biden continues the most anti-gun campaign in American history.
A Trump victory in Pennsylvania would go a long way in reelecting the president. It also serves as a litmus test on how much the Second Amendment figures in this ever-important election.
