Bills that aimed to prohibit the use of bump stocks and establish an electronic gun sale registry faced setbacks in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives on Tuesday.
The proposals fell short by just one vote in the lower chamber, highlighting the close divide on the issue. Critics argue that both measures infringe on the Second Amendment and, in the case of bump stocks, merely replicate existing federal legislation.
House Minority Leader Bryan Cutler, a Republican from Quarryville, acknowledges the concerns surrounding gun violence. However, he believes that placing blame solely on an inanimate object, as this bill does, is not an effective solution.
House Bill 335 categorizes bump stocks as accelerated trigger activators, describing them as “a part or combination of parts” that enable a semi-automatic weapon to function similarly to a machine gun, bypassing the need for a trigger pull for each round fired.
In the aftermath of a tragic outdoor concert shooting in Las Vegas that claimed the lives of 60 individuals and injured numerous others, the National Firearms Act took action to outlaw bump stocks in 2019. The devices were found on fourteen firearms seized from the perpetrator’s hotel room.
According to supporters, the federal law falls short when it comes to prosecuting offenders in Pennsylvania.
House Majority Leader Matt Bradford, a Democrat from Lansdale, highlighted an important point, stating, “Local district attorneys face a significant challenge when it comes to prosecuting federal crimes.” Bradford emphasized the limited jurisdiction of district attorneys, stating that they are unable to pursue cases that fall under federal jurisdiction.
Gun dealers will now be required to send electronic records of gun sales to the state police, instead of the current practice of using paper versions, as mandated by House Bill 2206.
Supporters argue that implementing these measures provides law enforcement with a crucial tool to track firearms recovered at crime scenes. On the other hand, critics contend that this approach compromises the personal information of gun owners and infringes upon their constitutional rights.
Democratic Representative Frank Burns from Johnstown made a decisive move by crossing party lines to cast the tie-breaking vote against both bills. Despite efforts to seek comment from the lawmaker, The Center Square was unable to obtain a statement.
