In the meantime, please take a few minutes to thank the members of the legislative branches of government who worked on our behalf to encourage the Supreme Court toward this position.

US Senate
Bob Casey

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Arlen Specter

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US Congress
Jason Altmire

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Christopher Carney

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Charlie Dent

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Jim Gerlach

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Tim Holden

• Twitter – @TimHoldenPA17
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Paul Kanjorski

• Twitter – @kanjo4congress
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Patrick Murphy

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Tim Murphy

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Joe Pitts

• Twitter – @JoePitts4PA
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Todd Platts

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Bill Shuster

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Glenn Thompson

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State Officials
Tom Corbett

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Joe Scarnati

Karen Boback

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Michele Brooks

Bryan Cutler

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Bill DeWeese

Glen Grell

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Rob Kauffman

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Mark Keller

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John Maher

Daryl Metcalfe

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Merle Phillips

Kathy Rapp

RoseMarie Swanger

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Will Tallman

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Katie True

Well Dan Onorato is blaming Tom Corbett for the so-called “Florida Loophole,” showing that the candidate for governor in 2010 is not shy about sending his gun control views up the flag pole. This is in contrast to Ed Rendell, who conveniently dropped the issue like a hot potato during his 2002 and 2006 runs.

The biggest flaw in Onorato’s argument? Gun owners with concealed carry licenses are more law-abiding than the general population. The second biggest flaw? Tom Corbett was not yet in office to sign the Florida reciprocity agreement in 2001.

I’m convinced that Ed Rendell has convinced fellow Democrats that the NRA can’t touch them. His evidence? His two terms, and Barack Obama’s ten point win in this state. Except Rendell ran against two lackluster candidates, and so did Barry. Corbett isn’t a weak candidate. He’s a hard campaigner and a good fundraiser.

It’s absolutely important we send Dan Onorato packing this fall, or it’s going to be over for us in Pennsylvania. Democrats will say the NRA can’t hurt them, only then they will be right.

Most in the media have made the assumption that Onorato is supportive of gun rights simply because he lives outside of the Philadelphia area.  If you look at the facts, those assumptions simply don’t hold water.  Looking back at the positions taken during the primary campaign, Dan Onorato was only outflanked on the left by Joe Hoeffel.  Post-primary, his positions are still more anti-gun than many of NRA’s most ardent foes in Harrisburg.

On this list of some of the “big” issues right now, Onorato has come out against gun owners 75% of the time. The other two issues are unknowns, or he would support other government officials in their quest for more gun control. That’s not what we usually consider “on our side” in the gun owning community.

Flipping the issue over to look at the issue from the gun control handbook from CeaseFirePA, their big issues show a similar breakdown. Onorato is with them 85% of the time, and they classify the remaining 15% of the positions as unknown – not in opposition to their agenda. Only Joe Hoeffel scored more points with CeaseFirePA. Though Sen. Tony Williams did tie with Onorato, he took a firmer stand against their policies when he didn’t agree with the gun control group.

Another way to look at Onorato’s position is to compare them to recent votes in the Judiciary Committee of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. To prove the comparison of being with the pro-gun side of the Democratic Party false, I’ve broken these charts down by NRA grade. All lawmakers are Democrats.

This table shows that Onorato is farther to the left on recent gun rights policy debates than two of the four F-rated lawmakers on the House Judiciary Committee.

Looking at some who probably fall on the left of the issue, and another lawmaker who falls squarely in the middle of the issue based on previous grades. Onorato’s policies fall in line with the D- legislator, but he’s exactly the opposite of two other D legislators and our single C-rated representative on the committee. That doesn’t seem to be very pro-gun.

All of these lawmakers are probably the “right flank” of the gun issue for the Democratic Party since they are all A-rated or higher. Most of them carry the NRA’s endorsement. And yet Dan Onorato doesn’t agree with them on anything – from banning guns to gutting gun laws to even a law dealing with self-defense in your own home.

The only truth you may hear is that Onorato’s running mate, Scott Conklin for Lt. Governor, has held a high NRA rating in the past. That is the truth, and he has even carried their endorsement in his race for state representative. Unfortunately for Rep. Conklin, due to the policy proposals of his gubernatorial running mate, it is likely that NRA will not support his run for higher office this year. The Republican candidate for Governor, Tom Corbett, has an excellent record on the Second Amendment issues we’re facing today, and has enjoyed the endorsement of NRA in previous statewide elections.

Lt. Governor – Democratic Nomination
It’s still a nail biter – and there will likely be ballot challenges in some ares – but early results show that State Rep. Scott Conklin has come out of no where as a late entry to the race to possibly topple the state party endorsed candidate out of Philadelphia, Jonathan Saidel. In his last election to the state House, Rep. Conklin had an A rating from NRA and earned their endorsement. With 99.2% of precincts reporting at about 9am, Conklin leads by 4,654 votes. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that the lead grows as the final votes come in.

Senate District 14 – Democratic Nomination
NRA endorsed State Rep. John Yudichak had a commanding victory over anti-gun mayor Tom Leighton. This seat is likely to remain in Democratic hands, as it has been for decades, so the Democratic primary was essentially the election to watch. Leighton is a member of Michael Bloomberg’s anti-gun coalition calling for an end to gun shows in Pennsylvania. We congratulate Senator-elect Yudichak for his decisive victory.

Governor – Republican Nomination
Either of the candidates in the Republican primary would have been great for gun owners. They both had strong records of defending the Second Amendment, and we’re very proud to see Attorney General Tom Corbett carrying the banner into November. Of course, we also regret that the State Rep. Sam Rohrer will be departing the State House since he opted not to run for his local seat during the primary. Hopefully his replacement in the seat will be as worthy of the support of gun owners as Rep. Rohrer has been over the years.

Senate District 22 – Democratic Nomination
This is a mixed bag election for gun owners. On one hand, the NRA backed candidate – State Rep. Jim Wansacz – did not make the final cut for November. On the other hand, the extreme anti-gun Mayor of Scranton did not survive either. A dark horse candidate won the race, and we hope to find out more about his position on guns rights in the future. This is his first elected office, and he was backed by the retiring pro-gun Senator for this open seat. For anti-gun Chris Doherty, this is his second setback in a few months after his campaign for governor floundered. Calling in the big guns, the anti-gun leader brought in Bill Clinton to record phone calls for him, though it did no good.

Overall, we’re sending a great message to Harrisburg: Your anti-gun candidates will not survive the electoral games this year. It doesn’t matter if you have the backing of Michael Bloomberg and his ally Bill Clinton, NRA members will make sure your race goes down in defeat.

Now comes the harder part where we step in for the final months to turn out the vote in November. We need your help to make sure Harrisburg and Washington are filled with pro-rights supporters.

However, the anti-gun crowd is in such desperate shape that they do have to give out points for even acknowledging their existence.

After sportsmen flooded the Capitol yesterday with hundreds of activists, the anti-gun crowd was feeling a little left out of the limelight. So today they organized a conference call to issue grades for the gubernatorial candidates.

Democrats:

• Joe Hoeffel: A
• Anthony Williams: A-
• Dan Onorato: B+
• Jack Wagner: C+

Republicans:

• Sam Rohrer: D
• Tom Corbett: F

According to the Allentown Morning Call’s John Micek, the group gave credit to Representative Sam Rohrer because he was willing to acknowledge their existence by taking time to complete their questionnaire and return it. Attorney General Tom Corbett, on the other hand, ignored them.

We will feature more information from the CeaseFire questionnaire this week.  Their responses may surprise you if you haven’t been following the race closely.

[Comment From Adam Z]
Hello, I have asked this question to some of the other candidates so here is the question…Could you please state your stance on Gun Owners Rights? For example, there is a current piece of legislation in the PA House – HB 40. Here is a summary of the bill, as a reference point…”Short Title: An Act amending Titles 18 (Crimes and Offenses) and 42 (Judiciary and Judicial Procedure) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, further providing, in general principles of justification, for definitions, for use of force in self-protection, for use of force for the protection of other persons and for licenses to carry firearms; providing for civil immunity for use of force; and further providing for sentences for offenses committed with firearms. ” In other words, this is a type of “Castle Doctrine” legislation where someone would be protected legally if they were defending themselves or loved ones not only in their homes, but also out in public. This legislation would stipulate that the person defending themselves could not be the agitator or instigator of said event and also not engaged in any type of illegal activity. Also, it would protect individuals in civil court from being sued from families of criminals during the process of roberry or some sort of criminal acitivity. Could you please explain your stance on this piece of proposed legislation and your opinion on rights of Gun Owners in general?

Tom Corbett: I support the use of force, including deadly force when warranted, within the home.
Tom Corbett: I am a strong supporter of the 2nd Amendment and am a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association, which is why I have tripled the number of concealed carry reciprocity agreements and signed on with Attorneys General to challenge the handgun bans in Washington DC and Chicago.

According to Adam, he submitted a follow-up question that was not published. It may have been due to the fact that Attorney General Corbett got to up leave the chat before final questions were even posted and without acknowledging those who took their lunch hour to learn more about him.

Today, Micek welcomes Attorney General Tom Corbett to the online roundtable. Gen. Corbett’s last grade with the NRA was an A+.

If you plan to submit any questions relevant to sportsmen, let us know on Twitter @PAGunRights.

[Comment From Adam Z]
Hello, I have asked this question to some of your fellow Democratic candidates so here is the question…Could you please state your stance on Gun Owners Rights? For example, there is a current piece of legislation in the PA House – HB 40. Here is a summary of the bill, as a reference point…”Short Title: An Act amending Titles 18 (Crimes and Offenses) and 42 (Judiciary and Judicial Procedure) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, further providing, in general principles of justification, for definitions, for use of force in self-protection, for use of force for the protection of other persons and for licenses to carry firearms; providing for civil immunity for use of force; and further providing for sentences for offenses committed with firearms. ” In other words, this is a type of “Castle Doctrine” legislation where someone would be protected legally if they were defending themselves or loved ones not only in their homes, but also out in public. This legislation would stipulate that the person defending themselves could not be the agitator or instigator of said event and also not engaged in any type of illegal activity. Also, it would protect individuals in civil court from being sued from families of criminals during the process of roberry or some sort of criminal acitivity. Could you please explain your stance on this piece of proposed legislation and your opinion on rights of Gun Owners in general?

Dan_Onorato: Adam Z: I support the 2nd Amendment and our sportsmen’s culture in Pennsylvania. I also support an individual’s rights to defend their homes — and current law allows you to do that, I do not believe we need to change that law. In addition, I believe we must also support common-sense measures to improve public safety — including a requirement to report lost-and-stolen handguns, child safety locks, and local options.

[Comment From Adam Z]
Thank you for your answer. So does your answer mean, that you are in favor of ending the PA State Preemption within the Commonwealth’s Constitution in regards to firearms legislation?

Dan_Onorato: [Silence]

Adam’s question was the only one that Onorato refused to address during the entire hourlong session.

Today, Micek continues talking to the Democratic candidates with Dan Onorato. He has previously hosted Auditor General Jack Wagner, Joe Hoeffel, Senator Tony Williams and Republican candidate Representative Sam Rohrer.

Onorato launched a full-fledged attack on gun rights when he called for an end to preemption in a gubernatorial debate, and then followed up with an indication that he would erase the rights of self-defense for anyone with a minor in the home.

Click here to view the embedded video.

If you plan to submit any questions relevant to sportsmen, let us know on Twitter @PAGunRights.

Charlie Cook, the non-partisan analyst, has billed Pennsylvania’s Congressional races some of the most competitive in the country. Two districts – PA-7 and PA-12 – are rated complete toss-ups. This means the ground game of candidates will make the difference. For the two major candidates in PA-12, they are on an accelerated schedule with a special election on May 18. In PA-7, it is an open seat that has been held by both the GOP and Democrats in recent years. We know the Democratic nominee, state Rep. Bryan Lentz, is rated F.

In the leaning Democratic category, we have four seats: PA-3, PA-8, PA-10, and PA-11. In the 3rd & 8th districts, both of those incumbent Democrats have a lousy record on gun rights – rated F and D+ in the last election, respectively. In the 10th, things look slightly better should Democrat Chris Carney hold on to his seat with his previous rating of B. NRA members should also expect that Paul Kanjorski will hold on to his endorsement in the 11th because of his strong A rating from past votes. However, should the winds shift in the district to toss-up, his opponent Lou Barletta is a re-match from 2008 who was also rated A.

For the GOP, they only have one seat that “leans” to their party, and it is PA-15. If the political winds prevail and gun owners lend a hand to their friend in office, Rep. Charlie Dent, then we would keep an A rated seat from flipping to the hands of an opponent who is working with Michael Bloomberg to bring New York City gun control to Pennsylvania.

In the likely category, Republicans again only have one seat in their favor. The good news for gun owners is that it is for PA-6, held by endorsed and A rated Rep. Jim Gerlach.

Again, for the Democrats in the likely category, they stand a good chance of holding onto two seats – PA-4 and PA-17. Once again, gun owners won’t necessarily lose with these trends because both Democratic incumbents are A rated. In PA-17, the likely GOP challenger is also A rated. Any change in the tide shouldn’t impact the district’s sportsmen in any serious way.

The solid category is the only one where the GOP bests the Democrats this year, with a count of 5-4. The safe Democratic seats – PA-1, PA-2, PA-13, and PA-14 – are all F rated incumbents. Unless a political earthquake happens, these seats will all remain in the hands of candidates who are bad news for the Second Amendment and hunting rights. The safe Republican seats, on the other hand, are a much better picture for sportsmen. Those seats are: PA-5, PA-9, PA-16, PA-18, and PA-19. All are held by candidates with an A rating, save PA-19 whose incumbent is still a well-rated A-.

In the races for US Senate and Governor, Cook has billed both races as solid toss-ups.

Republicans
Tom Corbett

• Twitter: @CorbettForGov
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Sam Rohrer

• Twitter: @samrohrer
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Democrats
Joe Hoeffel

• Twitter: @joehoeffel
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Dan Onorato

• Twitter: @dan_onorato
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Jack Wagner

• Twitter: @wagnergov2010
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Anthony Williams

• Twitter: @williams4pagov
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Our first video is from the January Progressive Summit where all of the Democratic candidates at the time endorsed various forms of gun control. Whether it is government control over how many guns you buy, making your carry permit worthless, or banning your favorite competition rifle, there’s a whole host of positions that will make the anti-gun crowd celebrate in this clip.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Since this debate, Chris Doherty dropped his flailing gubernatorial bid, and has instead decided he wants to make Harrisburg more anti-gun by filling the seat of A rated Senator Bob Mellow. His pro-gun challenger in the Democratic primary is A rated Rep. Jim Wansacz, our candidate of the week.

The gubernatorial race has also changed thanks to the entry of D rated Sen. Tony Williams. He knocked established candidate Joe Hoeffel out of the party endorsement race before he was even on the ballot. Needless to say, this has shaken things up in the campaign because the Southeast part of the state holds nearly half of the Democratic primary voters, which he and Hoeffel are expected to split.

We’ll have more videos in coming weeks from candidates who are talking about the Second Amendment.

Because the Second Amendment’s text recognizes a “right,” not a “power,” and guarantees that right to “the people” and not “the States,” it necessarily secures an individual right to keep and bear arms. The First, Fourth, and Ninth Amendments likewise protect the “rights” of “the people,” and none dispute that those Amendments protect individual rights. The Tenth Amendment, in turn, expressly distinguishes between “the States” and “the people,” demonstrating that the Framers knew well the difference. And, this Court has made clear, “the people” is a term of art, with the same meaning throughout the Bill of Rights.

In his attack, Hoeffel called Washington, DC’s gun ban a piece of “sensible gun safety legislation.” He didn’t stop there, Hoeffel called the monumental civil rights case a “frivolous lawsuit.” In fact, Hoeffel also defended Chicago’s gun ban, also calling the McDonald v. Chicago case a challenge to “sensible gun safety legislation.” Of course, the McDonald case had even more support among state leaders with 38 Attorneys General signing on to the individual rights incorporation view.

To illustrate just how out-of-touch Hoeffel’s position is with even his core constituency, not even the Brady Campaign considers a ban to be sensible legislation! They did not side with Chicago in the latest case, and their president has stated since 2008 that gun bans are off the table in the gun rights debate. Even gun control groups agree that Joe Hoeffel’s views on the Second Amendment are too extreme!

It should come as no surprise that the American public doesn’t agree with Joe Hoeffel’s interpretation of civil rights, either. Yesterday also marked the release of an NSSF poll that found 80% of Americans believe that state and local governments must honor the Second Amendment.

Here’s a look a peek at how some of the challenges line up for races with pro-gun folks or other high-profile campaigns.

UPDATE: Red Name = Removed from Ballot

Federal
Senate – Joseph Vodvarka
Perhaps you haven’t heard of the longshot Democratic challenger to Sen. Arlen Specter and anti-gun Rep. Joe Sestak, well Sestak wants to make sure it stays that way. Sestak is challenging the names on the petition in order to clear any other hurdles in his quest to unseat the establishment-backed Specter this May.

1st District – Pia Varma
Though she does not yet have a grade from NRA, she has certainly made remarks in forums and online that indicate a strong support for the right to bear arms. If a typical challenge against an incumbent politician is an uphill battle, she will have to climb a mountain to unseat anti-gun Rep. Bob Brady. However, that fact doesn’t mean much in Philadelphia politics, and Rep. Brady’s supporters are challenging her petitions so he won’t have to share the ballot.

8th District – James Jones
Challenged by a supporter of a primary opponent, the concerns raised about quite of few of the signatures submitted by Jones would be enough to get him thrown off the ballot. With a 4-way GOP primary, the removal of any one candidate could make a difference in what is perceived to be primarily a race between former Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick and newcomer Gloria Carlineo.

State
Governor
In an unexpected move that sent chatter among the Democratic Party, Dan Onorato tried to have Joe Hoeffel tossed off the ballot by challenging his signatures. According to political reporters, Onorato did this to try and minimize the competition from the eastern part of the state. However, when he realized that with both Hoeffel and Sen. Tony Williams on the ballot, they could battle each other for the Philadelphia-area vote while he campaigns elsewhere, he withdrew the challenge.

Lt. Governor
There was an attempt to remove one of the nine GOP candidates running in the crowded field off the ballot. However, the complaint against Jean Craig Pepper has since been withdrawn. With so many names in this race, it is surprising more questions weren’t raised before the deadline to file challenges.

Senate District 4
It appears as though someone is trying to clear the Democratic field for incumbent anti-gun Sen. Leanna Washington in this district that spans the southern portion our region.

Senate District 22
Amid accusations that he did not properly disclose financial interests, anti-gun Scranton mayor Chris Doherty has been challenged by a voter. This is an important one to watch because Doherty has pledged to end state preemption for gun laws and limit the number of guns we may buy. Another Democratic name in the race, Charles Volpe, is being challenged based on his signatures. Meanwhile, there are no such challenges or accusations of shenanigans against Rep. Jim Wansacz who maintains an A rating.

House District 28
The only challenger to incumbent A rated Rep. Mike Turzai has had her petitions challenged by three voters. There are no reports as to the nature of their challenge.

House District 37
The surprise primary challenger to A rated Rep. Tom Creighton has been challenged for his qualifications, and it’s likely related to his status within the party whose nomination he is seeking. Candidate Barry McFarland was reported to have been a Democrat as recently as two months ago.

House District 38
C.L. Jabbour, a primary challenger to A rated Rep. Bill Kortz, faces a challenge to his place on the Democratic ballot this May, though it is not clear what about his qualifications is being challenged.

House District 45
A rated incumbent Rep. Nick Kotik is raising questions about the petitions of his Democratic primary challenger, Maribeth Taylor. There have been no reports on what inconsistencies he found with her signatures or qualifications, and he did not raise any concerns about the Republican candidate on the ballot.

House District 48
Two challenges have been filed in this race to replace retiring A+ rated Rep. Tim Solobay, one against a Republican and the other against a Democrat. It’s unclear what any of this means for gun owners in the district yet, other than potentially fewer choices on the ballot.

House District 49
A rated incumbent Rep. Peter Daley has allegedly found issues with the petitions filed by a potential Republican opponent. Though Rep. Daley will still face a primary challenge from another member of his party in May.

House District 131
Two voters in the district represented by A- rated Rep. Karen Beyer have challenged the petitions of a Democratic candidate running in the race on the basis of residency. While tax records show that candidate Mike Horton owns property in the district that he listed on his nominating petition, they assert that he actually resides at a different address outside of the district.

House District 147
In this open seat to replace now-Sen. Bob Mensch, the Democratic candidate’s petitions are being challenged by an area man. It is unclear what the challenge is in regards to – qualifications, disclosures, or signatures – but this has the potential to make it into a far less competitive race leaving only one GOP name on the ballot. Both candidates are unknowns on the issues important to gun owners.

Onorato’s campaign says, “Onorato supports legislation requiring that homes with minors use effective child safety locks or other devices that keep children from being accidentally killed by firearms.”

No gun owner wants to see a child killed by any means. For some families, locks are the best solution. However, mandating locked guns in a private home blatantly flies in the face of a conclusion reached in DC vs. Heller two year ago. Washington, DC required the few residents allowed to even own firearms to keep them locked away. The justices were very clear in their concerns about infringement upon the right to self-defense with mandatory locks:

JUSTICE SCALIA: I don’t understand that. What would that be — that you can, if you have time, when you hear somebody crawling in your — your bedroom window, you can run to your gun, unlock it, load it and then fire? Is that going to be the exception?
GENERAL CLEMENT: If that’s going to be the exception, it would clearly be inadequate.
…
CHIEF JUSTICE ROBERTS: Well, before you start with it, how many minutes does it take to remove a trigger lock and load a gun? Because both the gun has to be unloaded; it has to have a trigger lock under the District law.
MR. DELLINGER: Those are alternatives, Mr. Chief Justice.
CHIEF JUSTICE ROBERTS: No, disassembly and trigger lock.
MR. DELLINGER: I mean, this is simply an unlock.
CHIEF JUSTICE ROBERTS: In either case it has to be unloaded, correct?
MR. DELLINGER: There are some versions of the trigger lock that allow you to put the trigger lock on and then load the gun. But the piece that goes in the trigger mechanism, even someone as clumsy as I could remove it in a second.
CHIEF JUSTICE ROBERTS: Well, the law, as I understand it, says that the gun has to be unloaded. So under your hypothetical, I assume that would violate the District’s law if the gun is still loaded.
MR. DELLINGER: You — it’s a question of where you put the parenthesis. I read that as disassembled and unloaded or under a trigger lock, and that’s the — that’s the way the District reads it.
CHIEF JUSTICE ROBERTS: So how long does it take? If your interpretation is correct, how long does it take to remove the trigger lock and make the gun operable?
MR. DELLINGER: You — you place a trigger lock on and it has — the version I have, a few — you can buy them at 17th Street Hardware — has a code, like a three-digit code. You turn to the code and you pull it apart. That’s all it takes. Even — it took me three seconds.
JUSTICE SCALIA: You turn on — you turn on the lamp next to your bed so you can — you can turn the knob at 3-22-95, and so somebody –
MR. DELLINGER: Well –
CHIEF JUSTICE ROBERTS: Is it like that? Is it a numerical code?
MR. DELLINGER: Yes, you can have one with a numerical code.
CHIEF JUSTICE ROBERTS: So then you turn on the lamp, you pick up your reading glasses –
(Laughter.)
MR. DELLINGER: Let me tell you. That’s right. Let me tell you why at the end of the day this doesn’t — this doesn’t matter, for two reasons. The lesson –
CHIEF JUSTICE ROBERTS: It may not matter, but I’d like some idea about how long it takes.

The case goes on focusing on DC’s specific laws. However, the justices were quite clear that they were concerned about access and self-defense under a mandatory lock law. Their decision addresses the trigger lock law:

As we have said, the law totally bans handgun possession in the home. It also requires that any lawful firearm in the home be disassembled or bound by a trigger lock at all times, rendering it inoperable.
…
We must also address the District’s requirement (as applied to respondent’s handgun) that firearms in the home be rendered and kept inoperable at all times. This makes it impossible for citizens to use them for the core lawful purpose of self-defense and is hence unconstitutional.
…
In sum, we hold that the District’s ban on handgun possession in the home violates the Second Amendment, as does its prohibition against rendering any lawful firearm in the home operable for the purpose of immediate self-defense.

As many already realize, the District is a federal enclave, therefore Heller was limited in its scope. However, the question before the Court in McDonald is whether the Second Amendment rights initially questioned in Heller are applied to states and municipalities. With a favorable decision likely before the end of its term in June, Onorato is proposing a law that will violate the Court’s 2008 ruling on the scope of the Second Amendment and our right to self-defense in our homes.

The unconstitutional lock mandate isn’t the only gun control gun owners need to fear from Onorato. He reiterates his support for a lost-and-stolen reporting law that would change the justice system into one in which gun owners are guilty until proven innocent. Prosecutors could financially ruin gun owners as they try to prove themselves innocent.

Finally, though he buries it in a separate paragraph, Onorato maintains support for his most controversial gun control plan – ending state preemption in Pennsylvania.

Under Onorato’s dismantling of state authority on gun laws, concealed carry permit holders could be arrested if they visit Philadelphia. Hunters heading to their favorite tree stand in the next county may find that their favorite hunting rifles are banned. Every time a gun owner crosses a city limit, he or she may be in violation of a local ordinance that could lead to arrest and cost them their rights.

There’s one thing that Onorato got right in this campaign when it comes to guns – any perception of him supporting the Second Amendment and the rights of gun owners or hunters is indeed “a mischaracterization.”

In the race for governor, four Democrats and two Republicans made it on the ballot successfully. On the Democratic side, we’ve covered their positions on gun control before, except for Sen. Tony Williams who was not in the race at the time. His last NRA rating was D – hardly a friend to the Second Amendment in Pennsylvania.

In the category of Lieutenant Governor, there was only one noteworthy surprise. State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe filed rather unexpectedly for the office on the Republican side. Both Democrats and Republicans have already endorsed in the race, and that support usually brings with it access to party support. This morning, Rep. Metcalfe is expected to formally launch his bid for Lt. Gov. at the State Capitol today. While Rep. Metcalfe has been a dedicated friend to gun owners, with the late start, a general lack of name recognition statewide to the broader electorate, and lack of a party endorsement, his campaign will likely be an uphill battle. That might explain why he has also filed paperwork to run for his state house seat again at the same time.

In Congress, the competitive races fill up pages on the candidate list. Consider that the race to oust Rep. Kathy Dahlkemper includes a two-way primary on the Democratic side and a six-way competition on the Republican side. Over in the Southwest, the competition to take former Rep. John Murtha’s seat has a new set of twists and turns. After Mark Critz won his party’s support for the special election to fill the rest of the term, former Treasurer Barbara Hafer announced she would still challenge him in the primary for the election in November. However, after filing the paperwork last night to be on the ballot, she has already dropped out this morning. Regardless, that still leaves a four-way race for the Democratic nomination and two-way competition for the GOP nomination in the 12th District.

In PA-8, Rep. Patrick Murphy has lined up four Republican challengers, two of whom have been recognized by the NRCC for meeting high campaign benchmarks. In PA-13, the quest to unseat Rep. Allyson Schwartz has three GOP candidates on the ballot. The two counties comprising the district split on their endorsements and a third candidate stayed in the race to take advantage of the split. In PA-19, Rep. Todd Platts has challengers on both tickets, but he is expected to keep the seat.

Though some seats are considered extremely safe based on general popularity of the incumbent or makeup of the local electorate, it is noteworthy that only one Congressional seat has no challengers at all this year – that is PA-9 represented by Rep. Bill Shuster.

In the state house, there are few surprises. We’ve covered the retirements fairly thoroughly. And we’ll try to do a detailed breakdown for each area soon. But, a quick check shows that some of our friends aren’t being challenged while others are. The seats with the most names on the ballot are House districts 194, 195 and 199 and Senate district 22. The first two each have seven Democrats and a single Republican while the latter House district has seven Republicans and one Democrat. The Senate district also has seven Democrats with one lone Republican.

Date:
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
6:30pm – 9:30pm
Doors open at 6:00pm

Location:
Crystal Tea Room-Wanamaker Building
One Hundred Penn Square East, Ninth Floor

Candidates Attending:
United States Senate – Peg Luksik, Pat Toomey
Pennsylvania Governor – Tom Corbett, Sam Rohrer
Additional offices represented:

• Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor
• 1st Congressional District
• 2nd Congressional District
• 6th Congressional District
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Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato started the series of gun control promises by calling for a statewide so-called “lost and stolen” law. He apparently doesn’t mind that the legislation would change the justice system into one in which gun owners are guilty until proven innocent. Prosecutors could financially ruin gun owners as they try to prove themselves innocent. Onorato continued by pledging to support “child safety locks,” though he declined to explain whether his version of the legislation would mandate the sale of locks to increase gun prices or challenge the ruling of Heller by forcing gun owners to lock their guns at home. Finally, Onorato unveiled his most controversial plan for gun control – ending state preemption in Pennsylvania.

Under Onorato’s dismantling of state authority on gun laws, concealed carry permit holders could be arrested if they visit Philadelphia. Hunters heading to their favorite tree stand in the next county may find that their favorite hunting rifles are banned. Every time a gun owner crosses a city limit, he or she may be in violation of a local ordinance that could lead to arrest and cost them their rights.

Of course, Onorato told reporters at his campaign launch that any perception of a pro-rights record was a “mischaracterization.” I don’t think most gun owners would have realized how much of mischaracterization that really was!

Next, Auditor General Jack Wagner dodged most state policy issues on gun rights – save one. Unfortunately for gun owners, it was a very, very big issue. Wagner, while claiming to support the Second Amendment, stated his support for a ban on semi-automatic rifles. These are not machine guns, but average rifles that gun owners often take into the field for hunting or to the range for competition. He did not explain whether his support for such a ban would include confiscation for those already owned.

Third in line, Scranton Mayor Chris Doherty joined Onorato in his support of ending state preemption. In fact, this was actually the priority pledge in his debate response. Clearly, he hasn’t heard that a recent poll showed 56% of Pennsylvanians support preemption of gun laws. His other priority, should he take office, is to restrict sales of guns to only one per month. Collectors would no longer be allowed to by matching sets. The only way to track such sales would also mean the formal creation of a gun owner registry in Pennsylvania.

Finally, Joe Hoeffel, the candidate running farther left than most of the others kept his answer as essentially all of the above. Specifically, he named these priorities: gun sales limits (and presumably the registry needed to track such sales), lost and stolen legislation, mandatory locks (though again without clarification on whether this applies to sales or storage), and the end of state preemption. In addition to the previously discussed issues, Hoeffel also supports a ban on private sales of firearms in Pennsylvania. Selling the rifle that collects dust in the back of the safe to a trusted family member will become a criminal act in Pennsylvania if Joe Hoeffel has his way.

Gun owners, particularly those who are registered as Democrats, need to speak out to these candidates. The primary race is close, and there is no clear winner. Make sure these candidates know that their support of gun control will cost them votes at the ballot box.

Given the host organization, it is unlikely that Second Amendment or hunting policy questions will arise. However, with many of the Democratic candidates coming from local office backgrounds, voters may be interested in learning more about their positions on a variety of issues. If you would like to know more, tune in to the PSEA’s website from 10am-12pm tomorrow.