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Endorsing the public safety campaign of Pennsylvanians Against Trafficking Handguns and joining their efforts to gather support for urging the Pennsylvania General Assembly to enact a statewide One Handgun Per Month Law in the 2005-2006 legislative session.
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WHEREAS, Firearms account for over 70% of the homicides in Pennsylvania each year, and of those firearms, the vast majority are handguns; and
WHEREAS, There are more handgun homicides in Pennsylvania each year than there are in Canada, Great Britain, Germany and Japan combined; and
WHEREAS, Handguns used in crimes are typically purchased legally in the first instance by stand-ins for illegal traffickers, called "straw purchasers," and soon thereafter move to the illegal market, where they then fall into the hands of criminals, youth, and the mentally ill; and
WHEREAS, Straw purchasers often buy multiple handguns at one time or make several individual handgun purchases in short time frames which are then distributed to the illegal market; and
WHEREAS, Pennsylvania's handgun trafficking problem is so severe that, according to the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), in Philadelphia, 76% of crime guns recovered in Philadelphia and successfully traced, and 81% in Pittsburgh, were originally legally purchased within the state; and
WHEREAS, ATF reports that nearly 87% of these traced crime guns in Philadelphia and over 91% in Pittsburgh were not in the possession of the original, legal purchaser when used in crime; and
WHEREAS, Virginia (1993), Maryland (1997) and California (1997) have state laws limiting handgun purchases by individuals to no more than one per month; and
WHEREAS, Substantial evidence shows these laws advance public safety by effectively reducing illegal handgun trafficking without negative impact on lawful gun commerce; and
WHEREAS, A recent survey de...
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