PA: City Council tables handgun ordinance

[308Mike]

Linkarooni

City Council tables handgun ordinance
Intelligencer Journal
Published: Oct 29, 2008
By JENNIFER TODD, Staff Writer

A proposed Lancaster city ordinance requiring gun owners to notify authorities of lost or stolen handguns within 72 hours has been put on hold.

City Council voted Tuesday to table the bill after Mayor Rick Gray said similar laws approved in other cities in the state are currently being challenged in Commonwealth Court.

Gray said he believes the best course would be to hold off on the proposal pending the outcome of the litigation.

At issue is whether ordinances enacted at local levels preempted — or superseded — state gun laws. The state constitution includes a pre-emption clause prohibiting local governments from creating their own gun laws.

Last month, a state court rejected a claim by Philadelphia City Council that gun-control measures it passed in 2007 were not pre-empted by the state Uniform Firearms Act.

Arguments in a second case, in which the National Rifle Association is challenging a portion of the measures, are set to get under way in state court Nov. 12, Gray said.

"Right now there's a lot of confusion, and I feel it's prudent for Council to hold off on this to see where things end up," Gray said. "We certainly don't want to move ahead with something we're unsure about."

More of this story..............