It's no surprise that a proposed law that would require gun owners to pay a $10 annual gun registration fee for all firearms has generated controversy.
All local legislators are opposed to it.
And state Rep. Jeffrey P. Pyle, R-Ford City, says the bill is just plain dead.
The bill, introduced March 19 by Rep. Angel Cruz, D-Philadephia County, originally had eight co-sponsors, but within days of its introduction, five withdrew their support.
"I have never introduced a bill with less than 80 or 90 co-sponsors," Pyle said. "That's the norm. This bill now has three co-sponsors. I doubt it will even get to the floor, but if it does you'll see me with my feathers ruffled and in full bloom."
Pyle said the three remaining co-sponsors are all Philadelphia-area representatives: Reps. Lawrence H. Curry, Cherelle L. Parker and Rosita C. Youngblood.
Pyle said the bill violates the Pennsylvania Constitution.
"The Pennsylvania Constitution, Article 21 is worded even stronger than the Second Amendment of our U.S. Constitution," he said. "It guarantees not only the right of citizens to bear arms, but to defend themselves against lawbreakers. I swore to uphold the whole Constitution, not just part of it. This thing is not going to make it out of committee, but if it does it will have overwhelming opposition, I guarantee it."
Pyle said his office was "deluged" with phone calls and e-mails from constituents voicing opposition to the bill.
"We had more than 100 phone calls a day and have received dozens of e-mails," he said.
"No criminal should own a firearm," Pyle said. "We must revoke concealed carry permits, if they have them, for anyone convicted of drug dealing or any type of crime. But we cannot penalize law-abiding gun owners. This bill is much ado about nothing."
Under the bill, gun owners would be forced to get annual fingerprinting, a criminal background check, and carry a photo registration card will their guns at all times. If annual registration is denied, an individual's firearm would be automatically confiscated.
State Rep. Joseph Petrarca, D-Vandergrift, called the bill an "outrageous attempt to infringe upon the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens."
Petrarca said his office has fielded a tremendous amount of calls, e-mails, and letters from constituents opposed to the bill. He said he disagrees with the bill because it won't achieve the goal of curtailing gun violence.
"Bills such as this will do nothing to make our streets safer," Petrarca said. "The so-called 'bad guys' aren't going to register their guns, and laws such as this will do nothing to stop gun violence."
"It's dead on arrival in Harrisburg," Petrarca said.
State Rep. John Pallone, D-New Kensington, said that the majority of his constituents are gun advocates -- collectors, sportsmen, hunters, target shooters, and competitive marksmen.
"We are a democratic state, but moderate or conservative on the gun control issue," Pallone said in a written statement.
Pallone said he disagrees with the legislation because it punishes law-abiding gun owners and won't prevent illegal gun-owners from breaking the law.
"The illegal gun activity will remain a problem, even if more gun control laws are passed," Pallone said. "Let's face it, the law breakers aren't going to begin to follow the new laws any more than they follow the existing law now."
"While I acknowledge and recognize that illegal gun activity, primarily in the larger cities, is out of hand, I don't think we should throw the baby out with the bathwater," Pallone said.
State Rep. Frank Dermody believes House Bill 760 will "never get out of committee."
"That bill will never see the light of day, nor should it," Dermody said. "It isn't necessary -- the laws we have on the books are sufficient. It doesn't have much of a future.
State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-Cranberry, disagreed with the bill, especially the $10 per gun registration fee.
"Simple math reveals that if a citizen owns six firearms, that would amount to an additional $60 annual 'gun tax' that they must pay to execute their constitutional rights to protect their lives, their families, and their property," Metcalfe said in a written statement.
"Any licensed hunter who didn't break one single law enforced by the Pennsylvania Game Commission could be charged as a criminal for unknowingly losing their gun registration while chasing down a prized buck," Metcalfe said. "In other words, hand over your hunting rifle and show the government your papers."
State Rep. Lisa Bennington was an original sponsor of House Bill 760, but her spokeswoman said she has removed her name from the bill. Jann Chirdon said the reason Bennington sponsored the bill was that initially, it only applied to handguns.
"The original bill was about handguns only," Chirdon said. "Then it was attached to another part of the bill, and it was different from what was first given to us."
"Some people are under the impression that this bill is being voted on right now," Chirdon said. "The bill is in committee -- it wouldn't be up for individual legislators to vote on the bill until it comes out of committee."
Chirdon said Bennington has always supported hunters and responsible gun-owners, and no longer supports the bill.
Tom Mitchell of the Leader Times in Kittanning contributed to this report.
