PA Could Soon Mandate Background Checks For Ammunition Purchases

HARRISBURG, PA — A bill will soon be introduced in the Pennsylvania legislature that would mandate universal background checks on anyone purchasing firearm ammunition. This latest gun control effort a state with traditionally strong Second Amendment protections comes amidst a rise in gun related deaths and excessive

Lawmakers pointed specifically to the killing of a teenager and shooting of four others at Roxborough High School in Philadelphia in Sept. 2022. The shooter was able to walk into a gun shop and immediately buy ammunition, despite being a convicted felon.

"Unlike in the purchase of firearms, background checks are not required for people to buy ammunition, resulting in devastating consequences for our communities," State Sens. Art Haywood (D-Montgomery/Philadelphia) and John I. Kane (D-Chester/Delaware) wrote in a co-sponsorship memorandum.

In the past, many detractors of similar legislation have argued that the shooter would have found his way to that ammunition regardless of the law, and that such provisions will only slow down law-abiding citizens exercising their basic rights.

Haywood and Kane say their bill would build on similar stipulations to mandate background checks already coded into the law by requiring their enforcement. It would "ensure Pennsylvania law is going far enough to prevent bullets from getting in the hands of those who should not be able to purchase them," the pair added.

It's not the first significant gun control measure to be introduced in the legislature in the new session. Another new gun control would restrict individuals to one purchase of a handgun per month. Special exceptions would be made for law enforcement, collectors, licensed dealers, and private security firms.

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