Frankel, Bellmon applaud House passage of gun safety measures

Rep. Anthony Bellmon    May 22, 2023 | 6:07 PM

HARRISBURG, May 22 – Pennsylvania Safe Caucus Chairmen Dan Frankel, D-Allegheny, and Anthony Bellmon, D-Phila., hailed the historic passage Monday of two bills that would meaningfully address the devastating epidemic of gun violence.

“Today, for the first time in years, Pennsylvania House members were given the opportunity to take a position on legislation to protect Pennsylvanians from gun violence, and I am overjoyed to find that we have bipartisan support for serious, research-backed policy solutions that will save lives,” Frankel said. “Now, all eyes are on Senate leaders, who can choose to have a public debate and see where the votes are on basic firearm regulations, or choose to do nothing.”

Bellmon, too, celebrated a milestone for two bills that will undoubtedly save lives once they become law.

“With the current gun violence crisis taking place in Philadelphia and around the commonwealth, today’s passage of two bills out of the House is a step in the right direction to prevent future tragedies,” Bellmon said. “As co-chair of the PA Safe Caucus, I applaud my colleagues who voted to make the commonwealth a safer place.”

The bills that passed are:

  • H.B. 1018 to create Extreme Risk Protection Orders, passed 102-99.
  • H.B. 714 to enact universal background checks, passed 109-92.

The bills now head to the state Senate for consideration.

Another bill – H.B. 338, which would require reporting of lost and stolen firearms, failed to pass by a vote of 101-100.