Even sponsor says gun bill is not likely to pass

HARRISBURG - A proposal to impose ultra-strict registration requirements on Pennsylvania gun owners has them up in arms - though even the sponsor, Rep. Angel Cruz, acknowledges that it has no chance of passing.

The bill, introduced by the Philadelphia Democrat, would require a $10-a-gun yearly tax and force gun owners to submit a recent photograph and be fingerprinted.

Lawmakers say the influx of calls, letters and e-mails in protest has been overwhelming.

"I have a little bell alert when a constituent feedback e-mail comes in," said Rep. Tim Seip (D., Schuylkill), who strongly opposes the measure. "My office is like a bell choir since this bill was proposed."

The bill would require registration with the state police of most guns manufactured since 1898. Applicants would have to disclose their address, phone number, birth date, Social Security number, sex and country of citizenship.

Those denied registration permits would have three days to relinquish their guns.

"This is an issue that has been selling itself for opposition," said National Rifle Association lobbyist John Hohenwarter. "We've done our normal membership correspondence about this bill, and from that it just escalated."

At least four of the five Democratic representatives from Philadelphia or Pittsburgh who originally signed on as cosponsors have since announced that they were pulling their support.

"I just think we need to engage in a conversation around breaking down the different aspects that contribute to the rising violence in our streets," said Rep. Jake Wheatley (D., Allegheny), who became a cosponsor before reading the entire bill. He said he later determined that it was "extreme" and wanted to have his name taken off the bill.

Also withdrawing were House members Cherelle Parker of Philadelphia; Lawrence Curry, who represents parts of Philadelphia and Montgomery County; and Lisa Bennington of Allegheny County.

Cruz said yesterday that the massacre on the Virginia Tech campus pointed up the need for new gun control measures. "The tragedy that happened today - how much more outspoken can it be? We have a problem with guns," he said.

Philadelphia has recorded more than 100 homicides this year, and officials say "straw" purchasers - who buy weapons for those unable to make the purchases themselves - are flooding the city with handguns.

Cruz's office manager, Joe Evangelista, said the bill could provide campaign ammunition for Republicans to use against Cruz's fellow Democrats in rural and suburban swing districts.

"But if you go into Harrisburg with the idea of trying to hold on to power and play it safe, then nothing would get done," he said.

Democrats would "rather impose a tax and restrict law-abiding citizens from owning a gun," said Mike Barley, a spokesman for the Republican State Committee.

Chad Ramsey, a spokesman for the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, said only Hawaii and Washington, D.C., currently require most firearms to be registered.

Rep. Bill DeWeese (D., Greene), the Democratic floor leader, said the bill offers a chance for members to show that they hold a variety of positions on gun legislation. He said reaction from his constituents has been unprecedented, and predicted the bill's demise.

To view firearms laws by state, go to http://go.philly.com/firearmsEndText