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WHEREAS, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania requires that individuals carrying concealed firearms are licensed by their county sheriff to ensure that gun owners are responsible and law-abiding citizens in the Commonwealth; and,
WHEREAS, Pennsylvania law prohibits the issuance of licenses to those individuals who have been convicted of a drug or alcohol offense, found to be mentally ill, a fugitive of the law, or deemed to be a risk to the public safety of the citizens of the Commonwealth; and,
WHEREAS, presently, even if an individual has been denied a concealed firearms license in Pennsylvania because of one of these disqualifying conditions, he or she can still carry a concealed firearm in Pennsylvania if he or she received a license in another state, regardless of whether or not that state has an official reciprocity agreement with the Pennsylvania Attorney General; and,
WHEREAS, as a result, an individual may be denied a license in Pennsylvania for violating the commonwealth's gun, alcohol, or drug laws, fleeing the law, or posing a public safety threat to the community, and then apply for and receive a license in a state with more relaxed gun license laws, such as Florida, allowing them to carry a concealed gun in Pennsylvania; and,
WHEREAS, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Bill No. 2536, now under consideration in the House Judiciary Committee, closes this "Florida Gun Loophole" by requiring that all residents of Pennsylvania carry a concealed weapons license issued by their county sheriff; and,
WHEREAS, this piece of legislation will prohibit individuals from carrying concealed firearms with only an out-of-state license, unless there is an existing reciprocity agreement between that state and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; and
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NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh, does hereby endorse House Bill No. 2536, as introduced by State Representative Bryan Lentz, of Delaware County; and, ...
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