In a society that recently requires protection anymore, gun owners have been fighting for their rights continuously.
With past threats of taking away people’s guns or limiting how many guns a person can own, many gun owners were happy when a recent bill was passed in the state of Pennsylvania.
A bill to allow people to carry concealed weapons without a permit was passed by a divided Pennsylvania House on Tuesday, but faces a veto threat from the governor.
The parties were split in the vote, as occurred in the state Senate last week, with Republican mostly supporting it and Democrats mostly opposed.
Supporters said getting concealed carry permits under current law can be subject to the whims of county sheriffs and that concealed carry permit holders can forget when their licenses expire and therefore unknowingly violate the law.
Opponents pointed out the proposal is unlikely to be enacted, as Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf’s office said he will veto the legislation, and argued the bill would make people less safe by making guns more readily accessible.
Pennsylvanians are generally allowed to openly carry loaded firearms, although current law is silent on it. Only in Philadelphia is a permit required for it.
The legislation sent to Wolf would remove Philadelphia’s open-carry permit requirement, as well as the state’s requirement for people to get a permit to carry a concealed weapon, including for storing them in their cars.
Many gun owners in Pennsylvania are hoping the bill does not get vetoed by Gov. Wolf.
“We live in a state where hunting is a regular sport. We don’t just have guns for protection,” said one local native to Pennsylvania.
Another resident stated, “We live in a crazy society. We should have the right to bear arms in protection. Not everyone is crazy and going around randomly shooting people. There are sensible adults that know how to be responsible when carrying a concealed weapon.”
Pennsylvania gun owners are waiting patiently in hopes that the bill will stay passed and Gov. Wolf’s attempts to veto the bill will be stifled.
