Pa. AG Won't Defend Controversial Gun Law

By Alison Smith and Kara Seymour:

Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane has reportedly declined to defend a controversial gun law signed this fall by Gov. Tom Corbett.

The controversial bill expands the ability of pro-gun organizations to sue municipalities with gun laws that are stricter than the state’s, according to PoliticsPA. Doylestown officials said this week they will be reviewing local gun restrictions in light of the law.

The law is scheduled to take effect this month, but the cities of Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Lancaster have sued to stop that from happening, CBS said. A Kane spokeswoman told The Philadelphia Inquirer that the Attorney General will not be representing the commonwealth against those challenges.

Doylestown Borough Council President Det Ansinn said the borough has been advised to remove certain restrictions from the books before the law goes into effect, including a local law against discharging a firearm in the borough, according to The Intelligencer.

Ansinn told the publication he expects a “lively discussion” at a Public Safety Committee meeting scheduled for Wednesday.

This is the second time that Kane has declined to represent the commonwealth in a legal challenge, the Inquirer said. Eighteen months ago, she declined to defend Pennsylvania against a challenge to its same-sex marriage ban.

“The attorney general determined it would be more efficient and in the best interest of the commonwealth for the Office of General Counsel to handle this matter,” Kane’s spokeswoman, Renee Martin, told The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Photo courtesy of the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office