Washington, D.C., May 27, 2020 – Today, Brady calls upon the Pennsylvania State Senate to reject HB 2440, “The Hunting, Firearm and Ammunition Life-Sustaining Business Act.” This bill would require the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to designate the firearm industry, such as gun stores, as “life-sustaining,” requiring that they “never be shuttered or limited in their ability to produce, provide, sell or otherwise offer” sales and services related to firearms, removing essential flexibility from the Commonwealth’s elected officials in responding to emergency situations.This bill was introduced in direct response to the national discussion around designating gun stores as “essential” or “non-essential” during the coronavirus pandemic response. Brady supports state and local governments’ right to designate gun stores as “essential” or “non-essential” based upon salient public health and safety considerations. This bill undermines that common-sense authority only to further the interests, profits, and unsupported interpretation of the Second Amendment of the gun industry. The Pennsylvania State Senate should reject this bill.Brady President Kris Brown shared:“HB 2440 is nothing more than gun industry propaganda spun into a bill. While this bill purports that designating the gun industry as “life-sustaining” is consistent with the Commonwealth’s constitution, that assertion is false. In emergency and other, specific situations, the Governor and local officials are well within their rights to temporarily close private businesses and industry – including the gun industry and gun dealers. As we have seen during the coronavirus pandemic, the Governor has latitude to create tailored solutions that both respect business and industry while preserving public health and safety. Subverting that authority makes Pennsylvania’s government less effective and its communities less safe.No Pennsylvanian’s right to bear arms or their liberty is abridged when the Commonwealth must take extraordinary actions to preserve our most fundamental right – the right to live. Brady urges the Pennsylvania State Senate to reject this bill.”Brady Pennsylvania State Lead Mike Miller explained:“This bill is nothing more than a blatant attempt to politicize an issue that should not be politicized. Duly elected leaders are charged with protecting the health and safety needs of all Americans, which requires flexibility to react appropriately during times of emergency. Each unique circumstance should inform which businesses or other operations are life-sustaining. No business should be grandfathered into such a category, including gun retailers, sporting clubs, and related or similar parties. It is a shame that rather than invest their energy into helping Pennsylvanians whose health, jobs, and lives have been affected by the pandemic, these legislators have instead attempted to slide their fringe, gun agenda by a distracted populace.”The Pennsylvania State House of Representatives passed HB 2440 on Wednesday, May 20, 2020.
Brady has one powerful mission — to unite all Americans against gun violence. We work across Congress, the courts, and our communities with over 90 grassroots chapters, bringing together young and old, red and blue, and every shade of color to find common ground in common sense. In the spirit of our namesakes Jim and Sarah Brady, we have fought for over 45 years to take action, not sides, and we will not stop until this epidemic ends. It’s in our hands.
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