Low turnout, same message: pro-gun Pa. legislators rally for Second Amendment

Sep. 13—HARRISBURG — An annual gun rights rally that's typically drawn hundreds to the Pennsylvania State Capitol over the years drew just a few dozen proponents on a dreary Monday morning, seemingly not quite enough to match the count of state lawmakers who stood in support.

Event organizer state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-Butler, who's retiring from office at year's end, proffered that law-abiding gun owners may fear being targeted for investigation by the government, drawing parallels to investigations into former President Donald Trump and the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

The pro-gun lawmaker reintroduced a bill for at least the third straight legislative session seeking to bar in-state enforcement of any potential federal law seeking to enact a gun registry or ban firearms. He spoke of the citizens of Ukraine and the country's war against Russia, saying an armed citizenry is a necessity.

"They are the modern example of why citizens need to stay armed to be free," Metcalfe told the crowd spread across a few of the Capitol's front steps.

House Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff, R-Centre/Mifflin, said the weekday workday may have caused many to miss the rally. It could also be a lack of understanding of the U.S. Constitution, he said, and the liberties it bestows.

"It's not just firearms but all of our liberties shall not be questioned," Benninghoff said.

Benninghoff spoke to affirmative votes carrying a bill through the House and Senate this session that would have barred local municipalities from enacting ordinances regulating gun ownership and sales that are more strict than any existing state law. The bill was vetoed earlier this year by Gov. Tom Wolf.

Kim Stolfer, president of Firearms Owners Against Crime, held up copies of proposed gun regulation legislation which he said would step on gun owners' rights.

Republicans in the House and Senate worked to defeat a bevy of proposed bills from Democrats seeking to regulate gun sales and possession.

Democrats, citing mass shootings in Uvalde, Texas, and Buffalo, N.Y., along with day-to-day violence, worked from the position that the proposals were common sense — "red flag" laws, safe storage requirements and a ban on certain semiautomatic firearms among dozens of proposals.

Republicans countered that the bills did nothing to deter gun violence or criminals and only infringed on the rights of legal gun owners.

State Rep. Rob Kauffman, R-Franklin, chair of the House Judiciary Committee, spoke of how 66 separate proposals failed to pass through his committee or even get serious consideration. He also solicited cheers when he said some had been amended to include language that would eliminate concealed carry permits and make Pennsylvania a constitutional carry state.

Kauffman referred to credit card companies beginning to separately categorize purchases at gun stores. The International Organization for Standardization announced new merchant codes for gun sales on Friday, switching such purchases out of the "general merchandise" category.

"All I say is, use cash," Kauffman said.