Gun Control

Philadelphia gun regulations blocked pending constitutional review

A Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas judge Thursday issued a temporary restraining orderblocking Philadelphia from enforcing new gun control legislation that would have banned the sale of assault weapons, required owners to report lost or stolen guns within 24 hours, and limited firearms purchases to one per month.

The National Rifle Association (NRA) and other pro-gun groups filed a request for a temporary restraining order Tuesday to prevent enforcement of the laws before the court rules on their constitutionality.

NRA Lawyers and Philadelphia District Attorney Lynn Abraham have both said that state law bars Pennsylvania municipalities from regulating guns.

Arguments for the case are scheduled for April 28. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled in Ortiz v. Commonwealth in 1996 that attempts by Philadelphia and Pittsburgh to regulate the possession of firearms were unconstitutional.

(Published by Jurist 18, 2008)