Event for Healing
Gun Laws Matter
Vote on November 6 for candidates who will support gun safety legislation. You could be saving the lives of thousands of fellow Pennsylvanians with a new legislature.
Population of New Jersey 9 million Population of Pennsylvania 12.8 million
From the editorial page of the Inquirer a comparison between NJ and Pennsylvania
Our neighboring state, New Jersey, has some of the toughest gun-safety laws in the nation. In 2016, it suffered 485 gun deaths, compared to Pennsylvania’s 1,555. Here’s how the two states compare on key gun laws, according to the Giffords Law Center.
Concealed carry:
N.J.: Requires proof of need;
Pa.: Few restrictions.
Assault weapons:
N.J.: Most banned;
Pa.: Legal.
Background checks on assault weapons:
N.J.: All gun sales subject to background checks;
Pa.: None required in private sales of long guns, which includes assault rifles. (Handgun sales require background checks.)
Magazine size of assault weapons:
N.J.: Limits to 10 rounds;
Pa.: No limit.
Waiting period to buy a handgun:
N.J.: Seven days or longer;
Pa.: None.
Lost or stolen
N.J.: Owners required to report when guns are lost or stolen;
Pa.: No requirement.
Child safety
N.J.: Holds parents criminally liable if children gain access to a gun;
Pa.: No laws.
Confiscation:
N.J.: Felons, violent domestic abusers, those who pose a danger to themselves or others have to surrender guns;
Pa.: Convicted felons cannot carry guns. Violent domestic abusers must surrender guns.
Castle doctrine:
N.J.: Not expanded to include “stand your ground;”
Pa.: Includes “stand your ground,” which permits people to use deadly force anywhere they feel threatened.
