Gun panel fails to back key measuresA Rendell commission didn't endorse a one-per-month limit on purchases or allowing cities the right to OK local gun laws.
By Amy Worden
HARRISBURG - A special commission formed by Gov. Rendell to combat a surge in gun violence statewide failed to support two key gun-control initiatives backed by Mayor Street and other city officials.
In a report issued yesterday, the divided commission recommended the legislature commit more funding for gun violence prevention programs, enact tougher penalties for those who violate state gun laws, and create better tools for prosecutors to pursue gun traffickers.
But the commission failed to endorse the most controversial proposals: limiting an individual's gun purchases to one a month, and allowing Philadelphia and other municipalities the right to approve local gun laws.
Gun-control advocates said they were disappointed in the report's recommendations, which they said failed to address any substantive prevention measures.
"It's very unfortunate that no consensus was able to be reached on any steps that really qualify as gun violence prevention," said Peter Hamm, communications director for the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. "The commission's recommendations have gun violence prevention starting in the emergency room."
In a 2004 report, the Brady Campaign gave the state a D+ for its gun-control laws. In issuing the report, the group said a state law prohibiting cities from enacting their own tougher gun-control laws was reprehensible.
Mayor Street's spokeswoman, Deborah Bolling, said the mayor was generally supportive of the report. "He thought it was good work, a lot in a little time."
Although the report did not favor giving local governments the ability to regulate guns, Bolling said the mayor was not critical. "He hasn't expressed disappointment to me," she said.
Walter Phillips, chairman of the commission and the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, said the report urges the legislature to hold hearings on the controversial proposals that the commission was unable to support.
Three Republicans on the 26-member commission abstained from voting on the report. Sen. Robert Robbins (R., Butler) and Attorney General Tom Corbett said they did not feel comfortable supporting a report that was rushed through in 45 days. The third abstaining member was Rep. Dennis O'Brien (R., Phila.), who could not be reached for comment.
Kevin Harley, a spokesman for Corbett, said "there was not enough time given to make a reasonable evaluation of the topics discussed and to conduct a thorough analysis of gun violence in Pennsylvania."
Harley said Corbett supported a number of ideas contained in the report, including more funding for witness-protection, but he was opposed to the two Philadelphia-backed initiatives, as well as proposals to increase fees charging municipalities for state police protection.
"If we had been given more time and provided more leadership, we may have been able to reach a consensus," Harley said.
After a rash of shootings in Philadelphia and other cities across the state, Rendell signed an executive order in March to create the commission.
To date, there have been 139 homicides in Philadelphia, compared with 115 at this time last year. Rendell said he was alarmed by the high number of child victims of gun crimes.
Mayor Street's call earlier this year for a moratorium on gun purchases was swiftly dismissed by gun-rights leaders in the state legislature.
The House is considering a bill limiting purchases to one gun a month, but lawmakers and Rendell conceded such a bill stands little chance of passage in a legislature dominated by strong gun-rights proponents.
"There's much more that should be done," District Attorney Lynne Abraham said last night. "We can do better and we're going to be pushing our agenda."
Some of the report's recommendations overlap those included in the Blueprint for a Safer Philadelphia, a package of antiviolence initiatives now being implemented.
But Phillips said the report recommends expanding on the blueprint - for instance, doubling the funding for the youth violence reduction partnership now under way in Philadelphia, and expanding the city's Gun Court to other counties if it proves successful.
Gun Violence
Some recommendations of the report:
Increase funding for gun violence prevention programs.
Enact tougher penalties for those who violate state gun laws.
Create better tools for prosecutors to pursue gun traffickers.
Consider expanding the so-called Gun Court to other counties, if it proves successful in Philadelphia. The court began operating in Philadelphia in January.
Extend federal funding for a statewide witness relocation program, which receives $500,000 a year to combat witness intimidation but is set to expire in December and could run out of money by September.
Double the funding for the youth violence reduction program to expand it beyond the city of Philadelphia.
Implement a statewide, hospital-based injury surveillance system to collect information on firearm-related injuries and provide intervention for victims and families.
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/11671517.htm.
