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Governor Rendell, Police Officers Ask Federal, State Lawmakers to Stand Against Deadly Assault Weapons, Illegal Handguns

Posted on: Wednesday, 15 April 2009, 14:35 CDT

Governor Urges Congress to Reinstate Assault Weapon Ban; Asks Legislature to Pass Sensible Measures to Limit Illegal Handguns

HARRISBURG, Pa., April 15 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Governor Edward G. Rendell, along with Pittsburgh Police Chief Nate Harper and other chief law enforcement officers from across Pennsylvania, today called on Congress and the General Assembly to stand with them and put an end to senseless murders stemming from the use of deadly assault weapons and illegal handguns.

The Governor wrote to Pennsylvania's Congressional delegation and the leadership of the state legislature today asking them to support common sense measures that have been proven to protect law enforcement officers and keep communities safe.

Also joining the Governor today was the Philadelphia Police Department's Deputy Stephen Johnson. Pittsburgh and Philadelphia have suffered through the murder of law enforcement officers in the last year at the hand of assault weapons.

"Our police officers are outgunned and that makes our communities unsafe," said Governor Rendell. "The murders of Pittsburgh police officers Kelly, Sciullo and Mayhle earlier this month and the death of Sgt. Liczbinski in Philadelphia last year are proof of that. Assault weapons that were designed to kill in large numbers and illegal firearms that were stolen and sold on the streets are too readily available because lawmakers haven't demonstrated the political courage to stand up against the gun lobby.

"Enough is enough. An assault weapon that's allowed today or a legal gun that is stolen from a home or store today, could very likely be what kills a police officer or someone else in your community tomorrow. This isn't only a big city problem. There are instances where illegal guns and assault weapons have been used to murder citizens all across Pennsylvania -- and all across America."

"April 4 was one of the darkest days for the Pittsburgh police force," said Harper. "I hope and pray that no other chief has to go through what I went through that day. The officers that initially respond to instances like that are not equipped to combat assault weapons. They have only a handgun or revolver and they're not wearing helmets or military gear. I hope we don't get to the point where police have to wear that sort of gear or use military vehicles.

"We need to make America safe. The sole role of an assault weapon is to do harm. When are our lawmakers going to make America safe by taking these weapons off the street," asked Harper.

In his letter to Congress, Governor Rendell asked Pennsylvania's Congressional delegation to support reinstating measures that ban possessing, manufacturing, using or importing assault weapons and ammunition clips that can hold more than 10 rounds. He also asked them to repeal the Tiahrt Amendment, which restricts cities, states and the police from fully accessing and using gun trace data from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms that shows where illegal guns are coming from, who buys them and how they get trafficked into our communities

Congress allowed the federal assault weapons ban to expire in September 2004. Since then, more than 40 police officers have been killed or wounded nationwide with assault rifles. The number of assaults of law enforcement officers with firearms in Pennsylvania has increased by 76 percent between 2002 and 2007, fueled partly by easier access to assault weapons, he said.

The Governor said the ban had proven effective. After it went into effect in 1995, the number of assault weapons traced to crimes by the ATF dropped 66 percent, but one year after it expired, the bureau recorded an 11 percent increase in crime gun tracings of AK-47-type assault weapons.

The Tiahrt Amendment, meanwhile, prevents ATF from requiring gun dealers to conduct annual physical inventory checks to find lost and stolen guns. Inspections of less than 10 percent of gun dealers in 2007, ATF found that 30,000 guns were missing.

According to the police chiefs, guns that are lost or stolen from shops and homes contribute significantly to the illegal gun trade.

Governor Rendell said the state legislature can do something about that. In his letter to the General Assembly, the Governor called for legislation requiring that lost and stolen handguns be reported -- a law supported by the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police and the District Attorney's Association.

He also called on them to allow local jurisdictions to pass their own ordinances related to handguns, such as allowing them to place reasonable limits on handguns purchases, saying such a move makes sense because what works in rural parts of the state is not necessarily effective in urban centers.

"All elected officials declare their support for law enforcement officers and honor their sacrifice when one of them falls," said Governor Rendell. "Yet many elected officials refuse to listen to the near unanimous voice of law enforcement when they ask us to enact reasonable legislation to limit the use of weapons designed only for killing."

The Governor pointed to the other law enforcement personnel and elected officials joining him today as examples of the widespread support for taking real action on this issue. Also present today were Lancaster Police Chief Keith Sadler, Dan O'Hara and Dan Hanlan from the Pittsburgh Fraternal Order of Police, Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Frank Pawlowski, Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, Reading Mayor Tom McMahon, Lancaster Mayor Rick Gray, Easton Mayor Salvatore Panto, Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan, and York Mayor John Brenner.

"If we truly support our police, we will withstand political pressure and cast our votes for the measures that protect them," said the Governor.

The Rendell administration is committed to creating a first-rate public education system, protecting our most vulnerable citizens and continuing economic investment to support our communities and businesses. To find out more about Governor Rendell's initiatives and to sign up for his weekly newsletter, visit www.governor.state.pa.us.

EDITOR'S NOTE: The following letters were sent today to members of Pennsylvania's Congressional delegation and General Assembly.

Dear PA Congressional delegation member:

On April 4, three brave Pittsburgh police officers - Eric Kelly, Paul Sciullo and Stephen Mayhle - were shot and killed by a gunman armed with an AK-47. The gunman fired nearly 100 rounds of ammunition in a shoot-out with police. This murder weapon, like other assault rifles, is designed for one purpose only - to kill. Nearly one year ago, Philadelphia Police Sergeant Stephen Liczbinski was gunned down in cold blood with a Chinese SKS assault rifle.

I am writing to urge you to protect our nation's police officers by reenacting legislation banning the possession, manufacture, use or importation of assault weapons and ammunition clips that can hold more than ten rounds. This measure is critical officer safety legislation that will protect our police officers from weapons that have no other purpose than to injure and kill. Failure to reenact the ban needlessly puts more officers' lives in jeopardy.

As you know, the assault weapons ban expired on September 13, 2004, when Congress failed to reenact it. I wrote the Pennsylvania Delegation last year following the killing of Sergeant Liczbinski, urging the renewal of the ban. The killings of the three officers in Pittsburgh earlier this month make it clear now, more than ever, that more police officers will be killed in the line of duty with assault weapons unless the federal ban is reenacted. As I wrote last year, there is no good reason to allow anyone to possess such weapons when their only purpose is to kill, especially law enforcement officers. In fact, our police are continually facing the harsh and deadly reality of having less firepower than the criminals they seek to bring to justice.

Renewing the assault weapons ban will protect the lives of everyone, including our police officers. Between 2002 and 2007, the number of assaults of law enforcement officers with firearms in Pennsylvania increased by 76%. The shooter who killed thirteen people earlier this month in Binghamton, New York used ammunition clips that would likely have been covered by the ban. The weapon used to kill the four police officers in Oakland, California in March was an SKS semi-automatic rifle, the same kind of weapon used to kill Sergeant Liczbinski.

In 1999, the National Institute of Justice reported that trace requests for assault weapons declined 20% in the first calendar year after the ban took effect. And data collected from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) shows that since 2005, the first full year after the ban expired, there was an 11% increase in crime gun tracing of AK-47 type assault weapons. Most telling is that since the expiration of the ban in 2004, more than forty police officers have been killed or wounded with assault rifles.

The fine men and women who put their lives on the line to protect us everyday know these statistics and they know the real danger they face. That is why the Fraternal Order of Police, International Brotherhood of Police Officers, Major Cities Chiefs of Police, International Association of Chiefs of Police, Hispanic American Police Command Officers Association, American Probation and Parole Association, Police Executive Research Forum, the National Association of School Resources Officers and the National Black Police Association all support the reinstatement of the federal assault weapons ban.

All elected officials declare our support for our law enforcement officers and honor their sacrifice when one of them falls. Yet many elected officials refuse to listen to the near unanimous voice of law enforcement when they ask us to enact reasonable legislation to limit the use of weapons designed only for killing. If we truly support our police we will withstand political pressure and cast our votes for the measures that protect them.

I also urge you to end a major impediment that stands in the way of our law enforcement being able to proactively stop illegal gun trafficking by repealing the Tiahrt Amendment. This amendment ties the hands of law enforcement as it restricts cities, states, and the police from fully accessing and using ATF's gun trace data, which can show where illegal guns are coming from, who buys them and how they are trafficked into our communities. The Amendment also prevents ATF from requiring gun dealers to conduct annual physical inventory checks to find lost and stolen guns. Law enforcement tells us that guns stolen from gun shops are a huge contributor to the illegal gun trade.

We have a fundamental obligation to protect our police officers. I urge you to stand up for our law enforcement. Every measure we take to protect their lives also protects our own lives.

Sincerely,

Edward G. Rendell, Governor

(Text of letter to General Assembly)

Dear State Senators and Representatives:

On April 4, three brave Pittsburgh police officers - Eric Kelly, Paul Sciullo and Stephen Mayhle - were shot and killed by a gunman armed with an AK-47. He fired nearly 100 rounds of ammunition in a shoot-out with police. This murder weapon, like other assault rifles, is designed for one purpose- to kill humans.

Today, members of our law enforcement join me in calling on Congress to stand up for our nation's law enforcement officers by reenacting legislation banning the possession, manufacture, use or importation of assault weapons. Congress has a fundamental duty to protect our law enforcement from these weapons, and I hope they will listen to our police officers and reenact the assault weapon ban.

While these brave officers were killed with legal guns, their deaths remind us that our neighborhoods and communities across the state, as well as our police officers, continue to be at risk from illegal handguns. You took a substantial step to addressing violence caused by illegal handguns when you passed legislation last year requiring a twenty year mandatory minimum sentence for anyone who shoots at a police officer.

Just as you did when you enacted the twenty year mandatory minimum for shooting at a police officer, I am asking you to once again stand with law enforcement - this time to enact reasonable legislation designed to stop illegal handguns and straw purchasers. As you know, gun violence is a state-wide problem that affects all areas of Pennsylvania - both urban and rural, and our law enforcement is increasingly the target. Between 2002 and 2007, the number of assaults on law enforcement officers with firearms in Pennsylvania increased by 76%.

To meaningfully address this problem, we need to immediately enact legislation requiring the reporting of lost and stolen handguns. Those who enforce our laws have repeatedly told us that their efforts to go after straw purchasers and enforce the laws against them are hampered because straw purchasers can simply claim that the handgun they purchased that was later used in the commission of a crime was simply "lost or stolen." Without requiring the reporting of lost or stolen handguns, many gun runners have and will continue to go free. That is why our law enforcement leadership, including the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police and the District Attorney's Association, strongly support this common-sense measure.

All elected officials declare our support for our law enforcement officers and honor their sacrifice when one of them falls. Yet many elected officials refuse to listen to the near unanimous voice of law enforcement when they ask us to enact reasonable legislation to limit the use of weapons designed only for killing human beings. If we truly support our police, we will withstand political pressure and cast our votes for the measures that protect them.

I also urge you to allow local jurisdictions to pass their own ordinances related to handguns, such as allowing them to place reasonable limits on the purchase of handguns. Law enforcement tells us there is a link between multiple purchases and straw purchasers. Local jurisdictions should be allowed to stop gun runners by enacting reasonable measures targeted at stopping straw purchasers, such as limiting handgun purchases to one per month. We owe it to the police officers who put their lives on the line to protect us every day to continue this debate and seek to reach agreement on a measure that moves us in a safer direction.

The real test of how much we care about protecting our officers is whether we can stand up and do what is right by enacting laws that protect our police from getting shot in the line of duty. Now is the time to support our law enforcement and enact common-sense measures to stop straw purchasers and illegal handgun trafficking.

Sincerely,

Edward G. Rendell, Governor

CONTACT: Chuck Ardo 717-783-1116

SOURCE Pennsylvania Office of the Governor

Source: PR Newswire

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