Take guns from abusers; no one should have to ‘live in fear’
It was not by accident that Kathy Stone found herself holding up a copy of the Daily Times during a press conference at the Delaware County Courthouse Tuesday.
That Thursday, Aug. 16 edition of the newspaper detailed the night of horror endured by a woman in Upper Chichester. She was shot four times by her husband during a night of rage and domestic violence – all of which played out in front of their three children.
The husband eventually led police on a high-speed chase into Philadelphia, where he took his own life.
All of this played out despite the fact that the woman had taken out a Protection From Abuse order against her husband. In fact, at the time of the latest incident, the husband was awaiting a hearing on a contempt citation for violating the PFA.
Police said the couple’s home was a frequent location of domestic disturbances. They described the woman’s harried life as “living in fear.”
The fact that her husband still had access to a gun only made matters worse, and almost cost the woman her life.
Stone, the head of the Delaware County Domestic Abuse Project, and a group of local elected officials gathered at the courthouse Tuesday in the latest push to change that.
They rallied on behalf of House Bill 2060, which would require someone found guilty of a domestic violence incident or subject to a final protection from abuse order to turn over their firearms within 24 hours. And very importantly, they must do so to law enforcement or a licensed gun dealer. Current law allows an abuser 60 days to relinquish their firearms, and also lets them do so to a friend or family member. That too often has traffic consequences, with the abuser still gaining access to a gun.
House Bill 2060 is similar to a measure that passed the Senate last year. It was sponsored by state Sen. Tom Killion, R-9 of Middletown. Unfortunately, it got bogged down in the House.
The House version has bipartisan support, as evidenced by both state Reps. Jamie Santora, R-163 of Upper Darby, and Leanne Krueger-Braneky, D-161 of Swarthmore, voicing support at Tuesday’s press conference for the push to get the measure passed by the House and onto Gov. Tom Wolf’s desk for his signature.
They don’t have much time. The House has less than a dozen days in session this fall as most lawmakers have their eyes on the November elections.
Speaking of which, Santora rightly noted this should not be seen as anti-gun legislation. Instead, it’s about the victims, and trying to prevent more of them.
“This legislation … is not about gun rights, it’s about human rights,” the Republican said. Without enforceable legislation to ensure that abusers do not have access to guns, “the abused and their families are forced to live in greater fear, constantly worrying about the abuser taking one last stand, and a life.”
Krueger-Braneky agreed. “It will turn victims into survivors by giving them the confidence to file a protection from abuse order because they know the guns in the household will finally be addressed,” the Democrat said.
Both Stone and Sara Wallace, of the grassroots group Moms Demand Action, noted that many women living in fear do not seek a protection from abuse order for that very reason, they are afraid of what a spouse – with a gun – is capable of doing.
“The chances of a woman dying in a domestic violence
situation increases 500 percent when a gun is present,” Krueger-Braneky pointed out.
Stone offered another chilling statistic. Of the 117 deaths recorded in Pennsylvania last year that were linked to a domestic situation, 78 were gun-related. And the numbers are trending up. In 2016, 102 residents of Pennsylvania lost their lives as a result of domestic violence – 56 women and 46 men. That includes two police officers. Ask any law enforcement official and they will tell you that domestic incidents are among the
most volatile – and dangerous – calls police get.
We urge the House to use the precious little time they will spend in Harrisburg doing the people’s business this fall wisely, and quickly pass House Bill 2060. If it is amended it will then have to be taken up again by the Senate, which has already showed wide support for the similar legislation sponsored by Tom Killion. If not, it can go directly to Wolf, who has indicated he will sign it.
Lives are at stake. No one should have to “live in fear.”
“This legislation … is not about gun rights, it’s about human rights. Without enforceable legislation to ensure that abusers do not have access to guns, the abused and their families are forced to live in greater fear, constantly worrying about the abuser taking one last stand, and a life.”
— Reps. Jamie Santora, R-163 of Upper Darby