Philadelphia, PA – City Council President Darrell L. Clarke (5th District) today issued the following statement on the Commonwealth Court ruling in the case of City of Philadelphia v. Armstrong:
“The decision released today by the Commonwealth Court concerning the city’s lost or stolen handgun reporting ordinance was not unexpected. We always expected we would be arguing the case for Philadelphia’s right to enact and enforce its own lost or stolen gun law in the state Supreme Court, and that’s where this case is now headed.”
“It’s worth noting that Senior Judge Leadbetter, in a concurring opinion today, referenced the ‘overwhelming blight of gun violence occurring in the City of Philadelphia,’ in urging the Supreme Court to reconsider a prior ruling on whether state law must preempt any attempts by cities or municipalities to enact stronger gun safety laws to best safeguard their own communities. ‘When a child cannot leave his home to walk to the corner of his street without risking the prospect of being caught in a crossfire, we are denying him the most fundamental right, that of life and liberty,’ the judge wrote in her concurrence, before urging the Supreme Court to reconsider its prior rulings, and ‘allow for local restrictions narrowly tailored to local necessities.’ We strongly agree, and look forward to Philadelphia making its case for the right to enact and enforce its own stronger gun laws to help make Philadelphia a safer place to live and work.”
