Posted on 08/30/2007 1:58:48 PM PDT by neverdem
Governor moves ahead with sales shutdown, saying there will never be an “ideal time” to inconvenience businesses.
PENNSYLVANIA - Despite howls of protest from sportsmen's groups, gun-rights advocates and legislators, Pennsylvania State Police will go ahead with a 72-hour gun-sales freeze starting Sunday.
A last-ditch effort to stop the gun-sales ban now shifts to a lawsuit in Commonwealth Court brought by three disgruntled Lancaster County gun shops and 23 others from around the state.
A hearing is scheduled for Friday in Commonwealth Court on a motion for an injunction to stop the gun-sales prohibition. Among the plaintiffs are The Sportsman's Shop in New Holland, Trop Gun Shop in Elizabethtown and Village Arms in Gap.
State police will shut down the computerized background check system from 6 p.m. Sunday until 6 p.m. Wednesday — one day earlier than originally planned — in order to install a database upgrade. The shutdown had previously been announced to run through Thursday. With no background check in place, guns may not be sold commercially.
Gun shop owners cried foul because the shutdown coincides with the opening of goose and dove seasons and, they say, they will lose business. Sportsmen's groups considered the timing of the shutdown a slap in the face of hunters.
Gov. Ed Rendell, acknowledging the timing of the shutdown was poorly planned, appointed a special panel last week to recommend what should be done.
The panel urged State Police to hold the computer update in late December or early January instead.
Many thought a compromise was at hand. But after meeting with State Police Commissioner Jeffrey Miller Tuesday afternoon, Rendell announced the computer work would begin on Sunday, as scheduled.
"It is clear that there will never be an ideal time to temporarily shut down the system so we can make changes necessary to ensure the system continues to be safe and useful," Rendell said in a written statement.
"It'll have an impact on every gun shop in the state. And, it's just idiocy," Larry Van Brookhoven, a manager at Trop Gun Shop, told the Harrisburg Patriot-News.
Melody Zullinger, executive director of the Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs and a member of the advisory panel Rendell appointed, fumed, "Unbelievable. It's just a slap-in-the-face type scenario...where they said, 'We're going to do what we want to do, regardless of what anybody else thinks or wants.' "
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I’m sure the lawsuit will go just as well as the one against the PA State Police for refusing to destroy, and continuing to maintain a permemant record of all gun sales in direct violation of federal law. Their arrogance knows no bounds... Baaaaaa Baaaaaa
While I understand that this story in Peters involves personal politics, I'm at a loss trying to figure Rendell's behavior with 2008 not so far away. Rendell is supposed to be smart. I guess he didn't get the message to stay away from the Second Amendment.
A state that can “grant” rights can un-grant them at will.
Decree by FIAT.
In the same manner Bill Clinton created thousands of govt jobs exclusively for gays by creating an Executive Order while he was in office; and he waited for Congress to go on vacation to do it.
On their return it didnt evoke a whisper or a rustle. However if it was Bush did something like that for (GASP) a Christian that would've created a 3 month firestorm on every news outlet and every liberal talking head would be all over it saying that Bush is violating the alleged seperation of Church & State.
How stupid is this? No offense to all of you in PA but it would seem you have a governor that doesn't know what to do and is too stupid to figure it out. He has to appoint a "panel".
The governor will also declare a 72 hr freeze on the first amendment. /s
Can’t be!!!!!!
......and why would YOU be afraid of a Law Abiding ARMED AMERICAN citizen......???
X-ring bullseye. OUr “friends” in the media sure would whine if we had a 72 hour freeze on the publication of newspapers, wouldn’t they?
I saw an item the other day that PA was shutting down gun ranges for an environmental cleaning - is Rendel testing new techniques to attack gun rights?
ping
Next election day: A 72-hour moratorium on voting.
These delays are perfectly reasonable. Running computers is haaaaard!!!!! Boo hoo.
“A right delayed is a right denied” — M. L. King
“I saw an item the other day that PA was shutting down gun ranges for an environmental cleaning - is Rendel testing new techniques to attack gun rights?”
What happened is that the State Gaming Lands free public gun ranges are pretty much shut down all through September while doing environmental cleanups. Not all of them. However, it is not all gun ranges. Privately owned gun ranges do their own environmental cleanup on their own time.
“While I understand that this story in Peters involves personal politics, I’m at a loss trying to figure Rendell’s behavior with 2008 not so far away.”
Big Ed was re-elected for a second term in 2006. After 2010, he can’t run for re-election as our state has a two term limit for governors.
His current plans after 2010 are to star in a new Sopranos type movie on HBO with himself playing the lead “Tony Soprano” type mobster. He has a lot of personal experience in this role.
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