The Levittown-area’s two Republican state senators and Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf are supporting a bill that would outlaw domestic abusers subject to final Protection From Abuse (PFA) orders from possessing firearms.
On Monday, Wolf threw his support behind Senate Bill 501, which has bipartisan support. State Sen. Tommy Tomlinson and State Sen. Chuck McIlhinney are both listed as co-sponsors on the bill.
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The bill was introduced at the beginning of the current session and referred to committee earlier this year.
The office of State Sen. Tom Killion, a Republican from Delaware County, summed the bill up this way in a memo to his peers in January:
This targeted amendment is very simple; removing third-party safekeeping as an option for a defendant ordered by the Court to relinquish firearms, weapons and ammunition. Moving forward, firearms shall only be relinquished to the County Sheriff or other law enforcement agency or to a Federal Firearms Licensed dealer. No longer would a person be able to transfer the firearms to a relative, friend, neighbor, etc. Defendants in final PFA cases would be required to surrender their firearms.
The bill would also strengthen existing surrender policy of convicted abusers to require surrender within 24 hours upon conviction of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence. Current law stipulates relinquishment within 60 days.
The intent of this change in law is to enhance safety for parties and their children in domestic violence and PFA situations. Enhancing their safety during these difficult times helps not only these families but also law enforcement charged with overall public safety.
According to research from Everytown USA, 54 percent of the 156 mass shootings in the United States that took place between 2009 and 2016 were related to domestic or family violence. The majority of mass shootings also took place in homes. Everytown USA is a gun control nonprofit founded by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
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“We must protect victims – spouses and children – of domestic violence and attempt to prevent domestic abusers from escalating their violence in everyday places that result in mass murder,” Wolf said. “It is time for the General Assembly to act on this bipartisan, commonsense legislation to protect victims and reduce violence.”
The state’s top executive has previously supported a bipartisan package of the bill that would fight to prevent domestic violence and keep victims safe.
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