House passes gun package, includes raising age for semi-automatic weapon purchases
Staff writer
The House passed a package of firearms restrictions Wednesday that included raising the minimum age for purchasing semi-automatic weapons from 18 to 21 years old, and area lawmakers were divided in their vote.
The bill, called the Protecting Our Kids Act, passed by a vote of 223-204, following last month’s mass shootings in Uvalde, Texas, that claimed the lives of 19 children and two teachers, and Buffalo, N.Y., which left 10 people dead.
Locally, U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb, D-17th District, voted in favor of the act, while Rep. Guy Reschenthaler, R-14th District, voted no.
In a statement, Lamb said, “By passing this bill today, we are doing everything we can to prevent another Uvalde. These clear and simple rules will make it harder for criminals to get guns, and make it less likely that children will be shot while they are trying to learn.”
The Protecting Our Kids Act would ban high-capacity magazines and bump stocks for civilian use, require background checks for the purchase of ghost guns, strengthen safe storage requirements in homes where children might have access to firearms, and strengthen penalties for gun trafficking.
“These rules will not take away one minute of hunting or lawful sport shooting from anyone. The Senate needs to do their job and pass this legislation to protect our communities and children from more senseless violence.”
The rest of Pennsylvania’s House members mirrored the congressional divide on guns, voting along party lines, with the exception of Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, a Republican who supported the legislation.
Reschenthaler said he voted against the bill because “the bill will make it more difficult to access a firearm in an emergency, criminalize a domestic violence victim’s attempt to get help from a friend in obtaining a firearm for self-defense, and ban many common and necessary firearms. This bill would do nothing to make our schools and communities safer or prevent future tragedies from taking place.”
The bill now goes to the Senate, where it is unlikely to pass. A group of senators is negotiating a separate – and likely more limited – set of reforms that could include more funding for mental health resources, expand background checks and incentivize states to enact red-flag laws.
In addition to Fitzpatrick, four other Republicans voted in favor of the bill – Chris Jacobs of New York, Fred Upton of Michigan, Anthony Gonzalez of Ohio, and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois.
Two House Democrats, Kurt Schrader of Oregon and Jared Golden of Maine, voted against the package.
In a statement, Fitzpatrick said, “I am a strong supporter of the Second Amendment and all of the protections that it entails. I also believe that we have no higher responsibility as leaders, no higher responsibility as human beings, than to protect our children and to keep our community safe … These are not and must not be mutually exclusive concepts.”
The House’s action came hours after members of the Oversight and Reform Committee heard testimony from people who lost loved ones in the mass shootings in Uvalde and Buffalo, and from a fourth-grader who survived the Robb Elementary shooting.
House Republican leaders described the measure as a “reactionary package” that violates citizens’ Second Amendment rights and impedes Americans’ ability to protect themselves.
Said Reschenthaler, “As a gun owner and staunch defender of the Second Amendment, I will always fight the left’s attempts to deny us our right to protect ourselves and our families. Congress should be working together to address the root causes of mass violence. Instead, Democrats are pushing a radical gun grab agenda that would strip away law-abiding citizens’ rights.”
Reschenthaler instead advocates for hardening schools, supporting mental health care, expanding information sharing, and promoting firearm safety and training.