From CeaseFirePA (http://www.ceasefirepa.org):
After a pair of mass shootings a year ago, State Senate Judiciary Chairwoman Lisa Baker gave Pennsylvania her word to hold “a series of public hearings intended as a prelude to action.”¹
The hearings came and went. A year passed. 1,500 more dead from guns in Pennsylvania. No action.
Even bipartisan legislation to allow firearms to be temporarily removed from someone because they may hurt themselves or others, known as Extreme Risk Protection orders (ERPO), is waiting for action.
Sign the petition to Senator Baker at https://ceasefirepa.salsalabs.org/lisabakererpo/index.html: We can’t wait any longer. Bring ERPO up for a vote now.
The proposed legislation would create a process for family members or law enforcement to temporarily remove access to guns if someone is at risk of harm to themselves or others. It’d start with a petition to the court and then eventually a formal hearing to ensure the temporary removal was warranted.²
It has worked to save lives in 19 states by preventing suicides, homicides and mass shootings.³ One study in California found that 13% of the Orders helped prevent likely mass shooting attempts.
This is the kind of action exactly what Chairwoman Baker promised a year ago. But, the bill still awaits a vote in her committee. It’s time for it to move.
Tell Senator Baker to honor her promise of action and bring this bill to a vote.
¹ Ron Southwick, “Pa. Republican lawmaker plans hearings following mass shootings” Penn Live. Aug 6, 2019.
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