Charles Mitchell, Dawn Meling Receive Honors

Kudos to  Charles Mitchell, the executive vice president of Commonwealth Foundation, for winning the Overton Award for his tenacity in fighting for freedom.

This award has only been given to one other person since its inception more than ten years ago, according to Commonwealth Foundation President and CEO Matthew J. Brouillette.

Also kudos to Dawn Meling, the Foundation’s director of marketing and outreach, who finished second in the national Great Communicators contest.

She delivered a speech on the vital need for public pension reform, using a Pennsylvania teacher as a practical example, and answered judges’ questions with great poise before an audience of more than 500 people, Brouillette said.

Charles Mitchell, Dawn Meling Receive Honors

Charles Mitchell, Dawn Meling Receive Honors

HB 1243 Stops Local Gungrabbing

A bill is before the full Pennsylvania House that would keep local governments from implementing their own ordinances, rules or laws regarding ownership, possession or transportation of firearms, says State Rep. Jim Cox (R-129).

The bill is HB 1243.

“Such local ordinances are already prohibited by state law; however, some municipalities have enacted local laws anyway,” Cox said. “To help deter that practice, the measure also would give legal standing to any person who has been adversely affected by any regulation put forth or enforced in violation of this premise, to seek injunctive and declarative relief, as well as damages.”

HB 1243 would also  require the Pennsylvania State Police to provide existing mental health records already incorporated in the Pennsylvania Instant Check System (PICS) to the National Instant Check System (NICS) and require ongoing submissions of this data to NICS within 72 hours of State Police receiving it. The goal is to keep guns out of the hands of people who should not have them, not only in Pennsylvania but across the country.

An additional amendment to require universal background checks on all firearms sales in Pennsylvania was considered but failed, Cox said. Under current Pennsylvania law, all firearms purchases are subject to background checks, with the exception of the private sales of long guns (hunting rifles).

HB 1243 Stops Local Gungrabbing
HB 1243 Stops Local Gungrabbing