WASHINGTON JOINS RALLY SUPPORTING TOUGHER GUN SAFETY LAWS

            HARRISBURG, December 10: State Sen. LeAnna Washington (D-Philadelphia/Montgomery) joined Gov. Ed Rendell, state representatives and Pennsylvania mayors, police officers and parents today to support CeaseFirePA’s call for tougher gun legislation at a rally at the Capitol in Harrisburg.

            “Gun violence is not just a Philadelphia problem, it’s a Pennsylvania problem,” Washington said. “This General Assembly needs to stand up together and say, ‘Enough is enough’ to the gun violence, for the sake of all innocent victims and our law enforcement.”

            A recent CeaseFirePA poll of Pennsylvanians found that people across the state want tougher gun legislation. Specifically, 65 percent of Pennsylvanians support stricter handgun safety laws, according to the poll.

            In fact, 96 percent of Pennsylvanians polled said they support requiring handgun owners to report a lost or stolen handgun to police, according to the poll. Even among gun owners, 92 percent favor this type of legislation, CeaseFirePA found.

            Currently, this measure (House Bill 29) is in the House Judiciary Committee.

Additionally, this year Washington reintroduced her one-gun-a-month legislation in the Senate after it died without any action being taken during the last legislative session. Senate bill 1042 provides for a limit of one handgun a month across the commonwealth. A companion piece of legislation, Senate Bill 1043, provides for one-gun-a-month legislation for cities of the first class with an "opt-in" option for other municipalities.