Onorato Slams Corbett On Loophole For Concealed Weapons
Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato, flanked by Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams and state Rep. Bryan Lentz of Delaware County, lashed out at state Attorney General Tom Corbett this morning for failing to close the "Florida loophole" that allows that state's Department of Agriculture to issue by mail permits to carry concealed weapons for Pennsylvanians who have been denied that privilege locally.
Onorato Slams Corbett On Loophole For Concealed Weapons
Chris Brennan
Dan Onorato, Democratic nominee for governor
Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato, flanked by Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams and state Rep. Bryan Lentz of Delaware County, lashed out at state Attorney General Tom Corbett this morning for failing to close the "Florida loophole" that allows that state's Department of Agriculture to issue by mail permits to carry concealed weapons for Pennsylvanians who have been denied that privilege locally.
The three Democrats said Corbett, the Republican nominee in the Nov. 2 general election for governor, could as Attorney General close that loophole by citing difference between the regulations for permits in the two states. For Florida, applicants must pass a background check. To gain a permit in Pennsylvania, applicants must be approved by their county Sheriff's Office -- In Philadelphia, it's the Police Department -- which can also take into consideration "character and reputation."
"Tom is actually in the position to deal with this issue right now," said Onorato, the Democratic nominee for governor, who noted that 175 mayors from across the state have asked Corbett to act. "They have not heard from the Attorney General. The reason is he doesn't want to deal with this issue."
Williams called the loophole a "disgusting affront" to Pennsylvania's sovereignty, declaring that this state's residents should have to follow their home state's laws on concealed weapons. Lentz introduced legislation last month to close the loophole. He hopes the state House Judiciary Committee will consider it for a vote next week, though he conceded that he doesn't have the votes now to move the bill forward.
Lentz dished out some statistics to knock down complaints that people in Pennsylvania have a difficult time obtaining permits to carry concealed weapons. He said 5,000 such permits were issued in 2009 based on 5,500 applications. In 2008, 5,900 permits were issued based on 6,200 applications.
Comments (34)
An enduring story of the Old South …. On this 50th anniversary of "To Kill a Mockingbird," looking back and now. ".... the Old South rises again!" You’re invited to the Montgomery County's revival and production of “To Kill a Mockingbird” LIVE on stage. Invitation: http://lowermerioncivic.blogsite.org/node/109 "…....Old times dar'…. am not forgotten; Look away! Look away! Look away! Dixie Land". ..... be sure to come early as the best seats will go fast!! RSVP: richard.liberatoscioli@gmail.com Disgrace and Corruption for PA Attorney General Tom Corbett http://www.topix.com/forum/philly/TO4Q9UECTOENUPR4N— Rick Liberatoscioli- Dan Onorato = modern day KGB Dan Onorato = typical democrat hack— George Tomezsko
- dan onorato surrounds himself with the corrupt union 107 president and takes money from him to support his campagin. that says alot about him. he will do what ever takes to win. posting the teamsters irb report or you can find the irb report at tdu.com search local 107— we need a union
- Why is Onorato so slimy? He has raised taxes in his home county and he has permitted Pittsburgh to go down the tube. Why are people supporting him?????????????— redjimpa
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What a waste of legislation. People with out-of-state gun permits aren't causing a wave of crime in PA -- the few anecdotes that Lentz and CeaseFirePA trot out are, at best, exceptions that prove the rule (actually, in each of those anecdotes they bend the truth quite a bit). The drug dealers and gunslingers shooting up the streets of Philadelphia don't carry ANY permit and don't care about getting one. When a politician starts doing something to fix the completely broken justice system in Philly -- what was the stat in the Inky's recent series? Something like 80 percent of felony arrests result in NO CONVICTIONS -- then I'll start to listen. People with gun permits aren't the problem.— JimA1- Plugh - I assure you I have read every word of the article. What you fail to understand is that the article is simply wrong. The information is incorrect. Whether that is through simple ignorance or deliberate misrepresentation is a separate conversation. But no one is talking about revoking the license (IF one ever existed) of a straw purchaser. First of all a straw purchase is a crime! If such a person was licensed, (and the chances of that are nearly nil) it SHOULD be revoked! They have committed a crime - they belong in jail! (Although you wll fnd that they are regularly slapped on the wrist and turned loose to probation by the Philadelphia courts. Why is that?) In reality straw purchsers do not hold licenses! They are almost always friends, girlfriends or acquaintances who don't require much convincing to commit a felony on behalf of another felon. No license is required to purchase a firearm. You will find if you take the time that persons requesting a license to carry are rarely if ever involved in criminal activity. THEY are not the problem. And the people who ARE the problem don't care about a license and would never bother to apply. They are criminals. They don''t care about the law- ANY law- because that's what criminals do! They break the law.— Traveller
- Tired of this nonsense???? Join the NRA.....NOW!!!!!!!— scorpio27
- Onorato says he wants to take away everyones right to carry. And the Florida thing, not a loophole. Federal law my friend.— yawns
- I really didn't know that perzel was a democrat!!!???
If the State says I can carry, who the heck is the Mayor to say I can't..- Comment removed.
This is the best shot Onoarto could come up with?? Desperation is apparent.— dogman5- Plugh, revoking a concealed carry permit does nothing to stop a firearms purchase.— blackscreen
- What a sad cynical republican you are, CleanUp. if you ever looked at campaign contributions and the power of the criminal defense bar, you'd chuckle. Now if you want to talk about fatcat Republican corporate lawyers giving to their legislative robots who gutt environmental legislation, okay. And then there's your Republican Chief Justice and his shenanigans. Your comments on genocide and "devils" suggest that you're not keeping your meds balanced. Maybe you should go to one of your Republican doctors and get that straightened out.
- One of the reasons Philly revokes gun permits is for those who have demonstrated a propensity for "losing" the guns they purchase. These people are straw gun purchasers that are paid to pass the guns along to others who can't pass the background check. Revoking the permit is one method to attack the strawman purchaser problem, since it is nearly impossible to prove someone didn't "lose" the gun they purchased, even when there is an obvious pattern of buying and losing guns. If you want to keep guns out of the hands of criminals, this is one pathway which must be closed. Florida obviously doesn't care about guns getting to PA criminals. Traveller, PHLJJS, and puddydawg: go back and read the Florida Loophole article, which it is clear you didn't bother with. CleanupPhilly: the original article was in February. This isn't a quick jump to a press release. It is an issue Corbett has avoided for months.— plugh
- There is no Florida "loophole"....gunshow "loophole"....machine guns and cop killer bullets "loophole"....or Mexican drug Lord assault rifle "loophole".Its all Brady Center and corporate media hype to scare the lemmings.Don't buy it-you'll be sorry.No wonder Onorato looks so sad,if this is all hes got.— oakster
- I was on a jury for a murder charge. We also convicted the guy for gun charges. The case also had reluctant witnesses (who did testify in the end, thankfully). Obviously something has to be done about witness intimidation, but I don't see how it is a partisan issue. In many cases the DA's office has no legal recourse if there are no witnesses. If you have a problem with that, take it up with James Madison.— Politburo
- I just love how Republicans want licenses to carry from state to state as the constitution states...except for marriage licenses then all bets are off.— Fox Irvin
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- CleanupPhilly - What makes you think the GOP wants to fix the problem? They haven't seem to cared about the impact of guns in urban areas in the past.— Politburo
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Onorato = typical "tax and spend" Democrat. Allegheny County is one of the worst run counties in the Commonwealth.- puddydawg - You click through, too. There is an example in the article of a drug dealer who had a gun, legally, thanks to Florida.— Politburo
- Traveller - Click through to the article. Philadelphia county does background checks that Florida does not do. One instructor admits that 25% of his business is people who were denied permits in Philadelphia county.— Politburo
- Typical gun control bull. The only difference between Florida and Pa is that in Pa the County Sheriff can refuse the permit even if you pass the background check. For no reason other than he wants to. He can say you have small children in your house, you shouldn't have a gun. Also pointing out that NO CRIME HAS BEEN COMMITTED BY SOMEONE CARING A FLORIDA GUN PERMIT. NONE. Because once again gun laws like this only work against legal gun owners.— puddydawg
- If the "journalist"that wrote this article actually did his job and researched the issue, he would discover that all of the extra hoops that Philadelphia makes an applicant jump through, are in violation of state law. Pennsylvania is a "Shall Issue" state, meaning as long as the applicant passes a State Police background check, he or she is approved for a LTCF. In Florida, not only does the applicant have to pass a background check, they also have to complete training on how to safely operate a firearm and provide proof that they have done so. The gun problem in Philadelphia is not being caused by people with gun permits, it is being caused by criminals. Maybe if the police, DA and judges would enforce the existing laws and actually fight crime, there wouldn't be a gun problem.— PHLJJS
- OK- so Onorato has established himself as a simple straightforward LIAR. Anyone who takes the trouble to look will find that there IS no Florida loophole. Under the Pennsylvania Uniform Firearms Act 18 PA C.s. section 6100 and beyond, County Sherriff ADMINISTERS the application process which is dictated by the state. Guess what the application process mandates? A BACKGROUND CHECK!. Just like Florida, PA applicants have the same NICS (National Instant Check System) background check conducted on the spot. In PA its Called PICS (PA Instant Check System) and it queries the NICS database. In other words, PAs background check is every bit as stringent as Florida. ANd if you are ineligible in PA, you are ALSO ineligible in Florida. The law clearly defines prohibiting factors, and assuming you still believe in innnocent until proven guilty, is exactly the same. If Onorato knows this, then he is a simple liar. If he doesn't know this, then he's just plain foolish.— Traveller
- Tom Corbett = typical gop hack
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Chris Brennan, a native Philadelphian and graduate of Temple University, joined the Daily News in 1999. He has written about SEPTA, the Philadelphia School District, the legalization of casino gambling, state government, the mayor, the governor, City Council and political campaigns. E-mail tips to brennac@phillynews.com
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David Gambacorta spent a small eternity writing about cops, drug dealers and serial killers. Now he’s writing about power and politics – which sometimes reminds him of the old crime beat. He joined the Daily News in 2005. And yes, he knows you’re not quite sure how to pronounce his last name. E-mail tips to gambacd@phillynews.com
Follow Dave on Twitter.
Jan Ransom, a native New Yorker, joined the Daily News in 2010 after graduating from Howard University. She has since written about the difficulty of filing police complaints, tax deadbeats and life after violent home invasions. She joined the Daily News City Hall Bureau in 2011 and has plunged headfirst into reporting on administration budget battles and City Council shenanigans. E-mail tips to ransomj@phillynews.com
Follow Jan on Twitter
Sean Collins Walsh is from Bucks County and went to Northwestern University. He joined the Daily News copy desk in 2012 and now covers the Nutter administration. Before that, he interned at papers including The New York Times, The Dallas Morning News and The Seattle Times. E-mail tips to walshSE@phillynews.com
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