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Josephs issues statement on gun lawsuit by city against General Assembly

HARRISBURG, March 12 – State Rep. Babette Josephs, D-Phila., issued the following statement on the legal challenge filed by Philadelphia City Councilmen Darrell L. Clarke and Donna Reed Miller against the Pennsylvania General Assembly to overturn a law that restricts the city from passing its own, stricter gun-control measures.

"I congratulate and commend Councilmen Clarke and Miller for their actions, and although I am a member of the General Assembly, I fully support them. Gun violence is a scourge on our society, and cities and communities should not be restricted by the state in their efforts to combat it. I am in the fight to get guns off of our streets until we prevail, and I believe that we will win.

"Numerous polls have shown that the overwhelming majority of Pennsylvanians -- including gun owners themselves -- want responsible legislation, such as one-gun-a-month provisions, the required reporting of lost or stolen firearms, and a registry of ammunition, to name a few. We experience gun violence every day and we want something done to end it.

"I have no doubt that the gun lobby will continue to oppose our efforts. The bottom line for manufactures and distributors is money – nothing else, but I believe voters have caught on. They are not fooled anymore. Let us remember that neither Governor Rendell nor U.S. Senator Casey was supported by the gun lobby. The senator won by 59 percent of the vote; the governor was elected twice. The leaders of these anti-gun-safety groups are not reflecting the views of anyone except a shrill ever-shrinking minority. Not even their own members believe their rhetoric anymore.

"We are still living in a democracy. The will of the people will be heard, and the legislature will act on it. In spite of what some of my colleagues think, I am confident that we will eradicate gun violence in Philadelphia and across the state. And we will do it soon."

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