HARRISBURG, June 25, 2015 — State Sen. Anthony Hardy Williams today stood with Cease Fire PA, state lawmakers and other public officials who filed a lawsuit in Commonwealth Court to stop a Corbett-era law giving the National Rifle Association the power to challenge local gun ordinances.
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Then-Gov. Tom Corbett signed House Bill 80 into law as Act 192 last November. The NRA provision was not the focus of the legislation. The measure was introduced to increase the penalties for stealing secondary metals.
Sen. Williams applauded the court’s ruling and said it comes as residents of Philadelphia and Delaware County fall victim to gun violence.
“The reason why I am here is because they can’t be here,” Williams said, “because so many of them have been struck down over the years by illegal guns in Philadelphia – and more over this past week. A record number of people have lost their lives at rates faster than any disease can take them away.
“This is a first step to not only protecting them but to protecting all of us.
“I thank the court for recognizing that all citizens should be protected. The fact that the 2nd Amendment allows us to have firearms doesn’t mean it allows us to have them unchecked and unfettered,” Williams said.
Sen. Williams thanked those who challenged the law. He urged members of the NRA to reconsider how their interests in gun rights no longer mesh with the direction of NRA executives.
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