Apr 15, 2007 2 min read

State Rep. Deberah Kula, D-North Union, voiced her opposition Thursday to a controversial bill that would require annual registration and fees on virtually all firearms in Pennsylvania. Kula said she has significant concerns with the bill, which has received much public attention.

The bill would unfairly target law-abiding gun owners and violate the Second Amendment rights of all citizens in Pennsylvania, she said.

“This measure would not solve the problems we are facing with regard to crime and violence because it would only punish those citizens who are already following the law,” Kula said. “I have been receiving many e-mails, calls and letters from concerned citizens who agree with me.”

Kula said the gun-registration bill has lost two of its six sponsors since it was introduced, making it unlikely that the bill could reach a 102-vote majority in the House.

The measure, which has been referred to the House Judiciary Committee, would:

– Require Pennsylvania gun owners to pay a $10 registration a year for each gun they own.

– Require legal gun owners to be fingerprinted, photographed and to submit to criminal background checks.

– Require possession of registration cards when carrying a firearm.

– Require registration cards to be shown to police upon demand.

– Enable police to confiscate any firearm whose registration was denied.

“I am concerned about the proliferation of illegal guns and the increasing number of violent crimes occurring across this state, in both large and small communities alike,” Kula added.

“And I look forward to working with my colleagues in the state House to develop policies and solutions that make sense. But I cannot and will not support measures that target innocent gun owners rather than the perpetrators of gun violence.”