Gun safety advocates urge action on PA stalled gun bills at Langhorne vigil

Gun safety advocates held a vigil Friday at state Sen. Frank Farry’s office in Langhorne, hoping to sway the Republican to support two bills that would “red flag” dangerous persons and mandate universal background checks on private gun sales.

The two bills passed in Harrisburg with bipartisan support in the Democrat-controlled House earlier this year. They’ve been jammed in the Senate Judiciary Committee in the Republican-led Senate. Farry, R-10 of Langhorne, does not sit on that committee.

“We’re here to mark that 200-day occasion and ask Sen. Farry to be a champion for anti-gun violence legislation to talk to his fellow members in the majority … to say, ‘You need to run these bills,’” said Sarah Jones, of CeaseFirePA, an activist organization.

House Bill 714 requires universal background checks and closes a loophole that allows gun buyers to skip a check if the sale of a long gun is private. House Bill 1018 is the “Extreme Risk Protection” order, also known as a “red flag” law, allowing a civil court judge to remove legally owned guns from persons deemed unstable who may do harm to themselves or others with firearms.

Jones mentioned the murder of Peter Romano, 14, of Bensalem, shot and killed Halloween night. The suspected shooter, Sean Hughes, 19, of Lower Makefield, later killed himself with a gun as police closed in. Despair can cloud the work of controlling gun safety, she said.

Gun death Community mourns loss of Peter Romano, teen boy killed in Bensalem Halloween shooting

“It can be hard to see a path forward,” Jones said. “But as we stand here together today, I want to remind everyone that we have hope here in Bucks County.”

That hope is in several state reps, advoctes said. KC Tomlinson, R-18 of Bensalem, and Joe Hogan, R-142 of Langhorne-Penndel, voted for Bill 1018, and Republican Kristen Marcell, of District 178, voted for Bill 714. It isn’t partisan, Jones said.

“It’s an issue for everyone who care deeply about the safety of our communities,” she said.

Farry has supported gun bills before, including disarming domestic abusers, she said. He was not available for comment after the meetup, but his chief of staff said he would leave a message.

About 35 people attended the noon vigil set outside Farry’s office on East Maple Avenue in Langhorne. Speakers had to shout over nearby traffic.

“Now is the time to raise our voice,” said Rabbi Charles Briskin of Shir Ami in Newtown. He prayed: “May the Holy One of blessings who blesses us all, bless and inspire Sen. Farry to use his influence to persuade Sen. Lisa Baker (of the Judiciary Committee) to advance (this legislation) … Help Sen. Farry urge her to do what is right and just for the people of Pennsylvania … Allow him to be illumined by the light of justice and inspire him to do right by us, and together we say Amen.”

Colleen Campbell of the Bucks County Health Improvement Partnership, called gun violence “a public health issue.”

“I’m not here to speak about the infringement of anyone’s rights, but to encourage working together with our legislators to promote change,” said Campbell, the wife of a Lower Makefield police officer.

In an average year in Pennsylvania, 1,574 people die and 3,058 are wounded by those using a gun. Pennsylvania has the 27th-highest rate of gun violence in the U.S., according to EveryStat.org, which compiles statistics on gun deaths in each state.

Most Pennsylvania gun deaths are suicides, at 62 percent. Homicides account for 35 percent of all firearms deaths in the commonwealth, according to EveryStat.org.

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After the vigil, the group unfurled a banner pleading with Sen. Farry to help push the bills. They walked to the senator’s district office, but he was not there.

“Thank you for taking the time to share,” said Ryan Skoczylas, the senator’s chief of staff, who accepted the banner.

JD Mullane can be reached at 215-949-5745 or at jmullane@couriertimes.com.

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: CeaseFirePA urges Sen. Farry's support for stalled gun bills