'One Handgun A Month': New Gun Control Bill Proposed In PA

HARRISBURG, PA — Lawmakers are once again bringing one of the most controversial issues in the nation front and center as the new legislative session begins in Harrisburg, as a new gun control bill is set to be introduced that would restrict how many weapons can be purchased by an within a 30-day period.

The bill would restrict that number to one gun per person within a month. Special exceptions would be made for law enforcement, collectors, licensed dealers, and private security firms.

"We must accept that we have a responsibility to end the illegal firearm trafficking taking place in Pennsylvania," State Rep. Mike Zabel (D-Delaware) said in a statement.

It's an enormous proposed step and change to Pennsylvania's current law, as the state currently does not restrict the number of sales at one time, or purchases of multiple firearms. It's likely to see significant pushback from a new legislature which, while led by a former Democrat, is still split right down the middle.

Zabel pointed to the "iron pipeline," a term used by law enforcement for weapons bought in states with weaker gun laws and funneled north, as a reason to restrict sales. Advocates of similar legislation say that criminals purchase weapons in bulk and then resell them as "ghost guns" to individuals who cannot legally purchase them, such as children, convicts, and those with mental health issues.

The pipeline has been cited by the U.S. Attorney's Office on multiple occassions, including a Feb. 2022 bust where illegal arms dealers used Amtrak to send weapons from the south to cities along the east coast, including several in Pennsylvania. "Our place in the Iron Pipeline cannot be ignored," Zabel added.

Some 8,850 guns sold in Pennsylvania were used in crimes in 2020, according to state statistics, and 431 Pennsylvania guns were used in crimes in New Jersey in the same year.

In Pennsylvania, obtaining a handgun requires both a state and federal background check at a Federal Firearms Licensee, or FFL, which is a gun dealer. One must be 21 years old to purchase a handgun.

Adults who can legally own firearms in Pennsylvania are also able to apply for a carry permit, which in Pennsylvania is called a License To Carry Firearms. Pennsylvania is a "shall-issue" state when it comes to carry licenses, meaning applicants who are not barred by law or who don't possess any disqualifying conditions are able to obtain a license to carry their firearm outside the home.

There were 1,752 gun deaths in Pennsylvania in the year 2020, according to the National Center for Health Statistics.