House Bill 768, or the Firearm Registration Act, was proposed on Friday by Representative Angel Cruz (D-Philadelphia), Representative Mary Isaacson (D-Philadelphia), and Representative Mary Jo Daley (D-Montgomery).
In the Co-Sponsorship memoranda of the bill, the primary sponsor, Rep. Cruz, says:
"In this world of instant information, we can't go an hour without hearing on the news or social media about crime, injury, or death involving firearms. Pew Research Center reports that almost half of Americans personally know someone who has been shot, with 40,000 gun-related deaths reported in 2017. Six in ten Americans believe that our nation’s gun laws are not strict enough, and it’s time something be done to address this problem.
I am proposing the creation of a firearm registration within the Pennsylvania State Police. Upon application and approval, firearm owners will be given a registration certificate, valid for one year, for each registered firearm they own. A registration certificate will only be issued to individuals who are eligible to possess a firearm under Federal and State law, who have never been convicted of a crime of violence and have not been convicted of a crime relating to the use, possession, or sale of any dangerous drug within five years prior to the application. This PSP database will aid all law enforcement officials with investigations and with tracking missing or stolen firearms."
The bill would require Pennsylvanians seeking to do anything with a gun, whether that be own, possess, sell or transfer, to apply for gun registration through State Police.
It would make exceptions in cases such as collector items, antiques or duty weapons.
