Sparks fly before public hearing on city gun bills

Friction between the mayor and district attorney, as well as among Pittsburgh City Council members, over proposed gun legislation lit up Grant Street on Tuesday as the city prepares for what could be a marathon public hearing later this week.

A disagreement between Mayor Bill Peduto and Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr., which started with a Jan. 9 letter from Mr. Zappala to Councilman Corey O’Connor, continued Tuesday. Mr. Zappala wrote that the city’s proposed gun bills were illegal and warned of the possibility of individual city lawmakers facing a criminal complaint.

“Why he wants to threaten council members with the potential of arrest if they would vote for gun reform is beyond me. It doesn’t even make sense politically what he’s doing,” Mr. Peduto said Tuesday, accusing Mr. Zappala of trying to appease the “gun lobby” for his re-election. Mr. Zappala’s term expires this year.

Mr. Zappala’s letter made no mention of arrests — though it did say state law would “permit a criminal complaint to be filed against” council members who voted for gun rules — and his office fired back.

“The statements from the city do not accurately reflect the content of the letter that the District Attorney

communicated to council,” Mike Manko, spokesman for the DA’s office, countered Tuesday. “The letter has no relation to politics or policy. It is about process and legality.”

City council is scheduled to hear from the public at a hearing on the proposed legislation at 6 p.m. Thursday.

The three gun control bills, introduced by Mr. O’Connor and Councilwoman Erika Strassburger, in conjunction with the mayor’s office, aim to regulate certain styles of firearms, as well as ammunition and accessories, in the city and allow courts to remove weapons from those who pose an “extreme risk” to themselves or others. State law pre-empts local regulation of firearms.

Controversy over the gun legislation has heated up since the bills’ introduction on Dec. 14.

Hundreds of armed gun rights advocates protested in early January on the portico and steps of the City-County Building.

Among other correspondence council has received, the U.S. Concealed Carry Association sent a letter to council Tuesday expressing strong opposition to the bills and urging them to support “responsibly armed Americans.”

As of Tuesday morning, 68 people had registered to speak at the hearing, according to the council clerk’s office.

Comments from Mr. Peduto, council President Bruce Kraus and Councilwoman Darlene Harris left unclear the hearing’s location, which is currently scheduled to occur in council chambers on the fifth floor of the City-County Building, Downtown.

Mr. Kraus said he has been in “constant communication” with Mr. O’Connor, Ms. Strassburger and the city’s Department of Public Safety, “making certain that the meeting goes as planned and protects the First Amendment right of everyone who comes to register their thoughts before the council.”

Under council’s public hearing rules, the council president presides over such hearings and “shall arrange the calendar.”

However, Mr. Peduto said the hearing may be relocated to the building’s lobby, pending a final decision by public safety.

“The public safety director has been monitoring the situation,” he said. “We believe there’s going to be a very large crowd. The idea is that we would be able to set council up into the lobby.”

For nearly 20 minutes during Tuesday’s council meeting, Ms. Harris expressed concerns about public safety, restroom access and the potential break with past public hearing traditions because of what she described as “much discussion throughout the building and in the community that this public hearing will be held downstairs in the main lobby.” Additionally, she expressed concerns about problems she said she has had with getting a date for a special fact-finding meeting on the legislation.

For roughly five minutes, Mr. Kraus and Ms. Harris spoke over each other before the meeting was adjourned.

“You are being very, very rude. This is ridiculous,” Ms. Harris exclaimed.

Mr. Kraus said Ms. Harris’ concerns are “wildly erratic speculation” and said that she has “absolutely not” been a part of any discussions regarding the public hearing.

Rules for the format of a public hearing and the procedure for registering to speak remain unchanged from council’s usual procedures, according to the city clerk. Each speaker will have three minutes, and registration is open until the start of the hearing.