Rendell decides not to delay computer work on gun sales database
HARRISBURG -- Gov. Ed Rendell, despite pressure from gun dealers, decided not to delay a database upgrade that will halt Pennsylvania firearms sales for three days.
The Democratic governor said the shutdown to allow work on the criminal history database would last one day less than previously announced. The Pennsylvania Instant Check System will be down from 6 p.m. Sunday and return to operation at 6 p.m. Sept. 5.
"It is clear that there will never be an ideal time to temporarily shut down the system so we can make changes necessary to ensure the system continues to be safe and useful," Rendell said in a written statement issued late Tuesday.
State police notified gun dealers of the computer work earlier this month, but the issue came to the fore after lawmakers who head the sportsmen's caucus wrote Rendell to protest, particularly because it coincided with the first few days of dove and Canada geese hunting season.
Gun dealers who have sued to block the shutdown said their legal action will proceed as scheduled. A hearing in Commonwealth Court is scheduled for Friday morning.
George Romanoff, one of the dealers who filed the lawsuit, said Rendell's decision did not surprise him. He noted that the computer work was not designed to be done at night, which opponents have said would reduce the impact.
"There might have been more expense to it, but the concerns of dealers obviously do not take front stage with the Governor's Office," he said.
A panel Rendell asked to study the issue suggested either a transition that would not interrupt service at all or shutdowns in October or early January. Those options either conflicted with other scheduled computer work or were too costly, Rendell said.
State police operators will accept calls while the system is down, but checks will not be processed during that period.
The system, which uses 1981 technology, provides criminal background information for schools, courts, federal agencies and local law enforcement.
