- Right now @clgoddard is delivering 35K signatures to Congress pre-State of the Union to push for action on #guns http://t.co/C04i0QaY
- What can you do to help make a safer nation? Consider volunteering time & talent. Details here: http://t.co/hG1SKqJL
- If you've lost a loved one to gun violence, plz share your story: http://t.co/vSjqVbmI
- Tell Congress we want action to reduce #gun violence. Help reach the goal of 30,000 emails by midnight: http://t.co/GdNtznlD
- Only hours left to make as big an impact as possible. Plz RT to help reach goal of 30K emails to Congress: http://t.co/GdNtznlD
- #NowIsTheTime to rally friends & followers to reach our goal of 30,000 emails to Congress in the next few hours: http://t.co/GdNtznlD
- #NowIsTheTime to make Congress hear our demand to reduce #gun violence. Help send 30K emails by midnight http://t.co/GdNtznlD
- Make sure Congress hears our demand for action to reduce #gun violence. Let's send 30,000 emails over the next 48 hours http://t.co/GdNtznlD
- Make our voices heard. Help send 30,000 emails urging Senate Judiciary Committee members to act on #gun reform http://t.co/GdNtznlD
- #NowIsTheTime to rally friends, family & followers to help send 30,000 emails to Congress in the next 48 hours: http://t.co/GdNtznlD
- Nationwide call-to-action: Help rally friends & family to send 30,000 emails to Congress in the next 48 hours: http://t.co/GdNtznlD
- President, Gabby Giffords & Mark Kelly say #NowIsTheTime for #gun reform. Tell Congress you agree: http://t.co/NJBj2Vt8 http://t.co/bWHypNuY
Pittsburgh Urges Pennsylvania Supreme Court to Throw Out NRA Lawsuit
Oct 5, 2010
Washington, D.C. - The City of Pittsburgh yesterday urged the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to throw out the National Rifle Association’s lawsuit which challenges the city’s ordinance helping to prevent gun trafficking by requiring the reporting of lost or stolen guns. The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence represents Pittsburgh pro bono.
Paul Helmke, President of the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, stated, “We hope the courts will yet again reject the NRA’s efforts to block this important law which can help police stop gun traffickers. Telling police when guns have been stolen and may be in the hands of a dangerous criminal is a common sense step to help make communities in Pittsburgh safer.”
Last July, Judge R. Stanton Wettick of the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County threw out the NRA’s case, agreeing with the Brady Center’s arguments that the NRA and individual gun owners lacked standing to bring the case. On June 25, 2010, the Commonwealth Court affirmed the trial court’s dismissal of the NRA’s case. The NRA is now asking the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to hear the case.
The NRA lawsuit challenged Pittsburgh’s ordinance requiring that gun owners notify police when their gun is lost or stolen, a measure that aids police and law-abiding gun owners by enabling police to quickly investigate and retrieve stolen guns. The ordinance also prevents gun traffickers from falsely claiming that their guns were “stolen” after guns they illegally sold are recovered at crime scenes and traced back to them.
A similar NRA lawsuit filed against Philadelphia’s lost or stolen gun reporting ordinance was also rejected by the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County. The Commonwealth Court affirmed the dismissal of the NRA’s case against Philadelphia, and the Pennsylvania Supreme Court rejected the NRA’s petition for review of that ruling.
Stolen guns represent a significant source of trafficked guns, with 500,000 guns stolen from private citizens each year. About one of every six trafficked guns are stolen from residences. Guns are stolen in Pennsylvania at a rate of 12 guns per 1,000 households.
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The Brady Campaign is the nation's largest citizens' lobby to prevent gun violence. We represent the voice of the overwhelming majority of Americans who are tired of living with the constant tragedy of gun violence and are in favor of strong laws and policies that will save lives. We are the light that exposes politicians who are putting the American people at risk, empowering the American people to hold them accountable for decisions and actions that undermine public safety.
We are driven by the focused vision of a nation where all Americans are safe at home, at work, at school, and in our communities.
Dan Gross is the President of the Brady Campaign and the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence. A photo and more information about Dan Gross is available here.
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