Pennsylvania Gun Rights » Jason Altmire

PA Lawmakers on National Concealed Carry

EVC PA-13 — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 17:17:25 +0000

We’re counting down to the House vote on the issue of national concealed carry license reciprocity this afternoon, and some folks may wonder how Pennsylvania’s lawmakers have been on the issue.

Back in April, we covered the bill shortly after it was introduced. At the time, we could proudly pat nine House members from the Commonwealth on the back for their support of the bill. Since then, more came on to co-sponsor, including Reps. Mike Fitzpatrick, Lou Barletta, and Tom Marino.

Based on a rule vote yesterday, it appears that the majority of the Pennsylvania lawmakers plan to support the bill.

These lawmakers deserve our thanks for their support in the vote:

Rep. Mike Kelly (R-3)
Rep. Jason Altmire (D-4)
Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-5)
Rep. Jim Gerlach (R-6)
Rep. Pat Meehan (R-7)
Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick (R-8)
Rep. Bill Shuster (R-9)
Rep. Tom Marino (R-10)
Rep. Lou Barletta (R-11)
Rep. Mark Critz (D-12)
Rep. Charlie Dent (D-15)
Rep. Joe Pitts (R-16)
Rep. Tim Holden (D-17)
Rep. Tim Murphy (R-18)
Rep. Todd Platts (R-19)

These are the lawmakers who voted against us on the rule:

Rep. Bob Brady (D-1)
Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-2)
Rep. Allyson Schwartz (D-13)
Rep. Mike Doyle (D-14)

PA Politicians Speak to NRA Members

EVC PA-13 — Tue, 03 May 2011 20:32:00 +0000

At the second largest NRA Annual Meeting in history, politicians came out in droves to celebrate with tens of thousands of NRA members in Pittsburgh.

Here’s a video of Rep. Jason Altmire (D-PA) speaking about his role, along with other members of Congress, in the landmark Heller & McDonald cases and the need for BATFE reform, a bill which he is co-sponsoring this year.

Getting on Board with National Reciprocity

EVC PA-13 — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 17:18:52 +0000

From NRA-ILA:

Congressmen Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.) and Heath Shuler (D-N.C.) have introduced vital legislation that will enable millions of permit holders to exercise their right to self-defense while traveling outside their home states.

There are now only two states that have no clear legal way for individuals to carry concealed firearms for self-defense. Thirty-nine states have shall-issue permit systems that make it possible for any law-abiding person to obtain a permit, while most of the others have discretionary permit systems.

H.R. 822 would make a major step forward for gun owners’ rights by significantly expanding where those permits are recognized.

Dozens of states have passed carry laws over the past 25 years because the right to self-defense does not end when one leaves home. However, interstate recognition of those permits is not uniform and creates great confusion and potential problems for the traveler. While many states have broad reciprocity, others have very restrictive reciprocity laws. Still others deny recognition completely.

H.R. 822 would solve this problem by requiring that lawfully issued carry permits be recognized, while protecting the ability of the various states to determine the areas where carrying is prohibited. The bill would not create a federal licensing system; rather, it would require the states to recognize each others’ carry permits, just as they recognize drivers’ licenses and carry permits held by armored car guards. Rep. Stearns has introduced similar legislation since 1995.

In the few weeks since its introduction, H.R. 822 has added over 120 cosponsors. Click here to see if your Congressman is a cosponsor. However, more support is needed to make this bill a higher priority.

If your Congressman is not yet a cosponsor, respectfully urge him or her to support the fundamental right to self-defense by becoming a cosponsor of H.R. 822. If your Representative is already a cosponsor, please offer your thanks for his or her support.

These members of Pennsylvania’s delegation have signed on to support the bill as of 4/8/11:

Rep. Jason Altmire (D-Pa.)
Rep. Mark Critz (D-Pa.)
Rep. Charlie Dent (R-Pa.)
Rep. Tim Holden (D-Pa.)
Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.)
Rep. Tim Murphy (R-Pa.)
Rep. Todd Platts (R-Pa.)
Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Pa.)
Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-Pa.)

NRA Officially Endorses Jason Altmire for Congress

EVC PA-13 — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 14:00:54 +0000

The announcement came yesterday from the NRA Political Victory Fund: The National Rifle Association Political Victory Fund (NRA-PVF) is endorsing Jason Altmire for re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives in Pennsylvania’s 4th Congressional District.

“The NRA-PVF is endorsing Jason Altmire because he has been a strong defender of the Second Amendment freedoms of law-abiding gun owners, hunters and sportsmen in Pennsylvania and across America,” said Chris W. Cox, chairman of the NRA-PVF.

As a member of Congress, Altmire has demonstrated his commitment to our Second Amendment rights by voting for legislation to restore self-defense rights in our nation’s capital, as well as signing the pro-gun congressional amicus brief to the Supreme Court supporting our individual right to keep and bear arms in the Heller case. Additionally, he cosponsored the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity amendment, which would provide a national standard for carrying concealed firearms, as well as legislation that would reform the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms. Altmire also signed a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder opposing re-enactment of the failed 1994 ban on semi-automatic firearms and ammunition magazines. Most recently, he signed the pro-gun congressional amicus brief arguing that the Second Amendment guarantees a fundamental right that protects all Americans in the McDonald case.

Jason Altmire’s commitment to preserving our right to keep and bear arms has earned him an “A” rating and the endorsement of the NRA-PVF.

“On November 2nd, I urge all Pennsylvania NRA Members and gun owners in the 4th District to vote Jason Altmire for Congress,” Cox concluded.

We Win!

EVC PA-13 — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 14:04:34 +0000

The Second Amendment is now incorporated to cover state and local governments according to today’s opinion released in McDonald vs. Chicago. According to SCOTUS Blog, the decision has been released today, and we’ll have more details as the opinion is shared with the public.

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

Twitter – @SenArlenSpecter
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US Congress
Jason Altmire

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Christopher Carney

Twitter – @ChrisCarneyPa10
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Charlie Dent

Twitter – @DentforCongress
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Jim Gerlach

Twitter – @JimGerlach
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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

Twitter – @RepTimMurphy
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Joe Pitts

Twitter – @JoePitts4PA
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Todd Platts

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Bill Shuster

Twitter – @RepBillShuster
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Glenn Thompson

Twitter – @CongressmanGT
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State Officials
Tom Corbett

Twitter – @CorbettforGov
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Joe Scarnati

Karen Boback

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Michele Brooks

Bryan Cutler

Twitter – @RepBryanCutler
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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

Twitter – @DarylMetcalfe

Merle Phillips

Kathy Rapp

RoseMarie Swanger

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Will Tallman

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Katie True

Candidates Engaging in Social Media, Part II

EVC PA-13 — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 14:00:24 +0000

If you want to keep up with what the candidates who seek your vote are doing on the campaign trail, you can keep up with many on social media. Here are a few of the federal candidates on your favorite social networking sites:

District 4
Jason Altmire, Democrat

Keith Rothfus, Republican

Mary Beth Buchanan, Republican

Facebook

District 5
Glenn Thompson, Republican

Michael Pipe, Democrat

District 6
Jim Gerlach, Republican

Patrick Sellers, Republican

Manan Trivedi, Democrat

Doug Pike, Democrat

Twitter – @dougpike
Facebook

We’ll feature more candidates in the future.

Likely Competitive Penn. Congressional Races

EVC PA-13 — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 22:44:11 +0000

It would appear that the major national parties are lining up to make Pennsylvania a battleground for several Congressional seats in 2010. The National Republican Congressional Committee has released a list of Democratic members of Congress they hope to unseat in 2010, including six in Pennsylvania. For gun owners, it could mean changes for positively rated members of Congress.

So far, Republicans plan to target the following districts and members: PA-3 Rep. Kathy Dahlkemper, PA-4 Rep. Jason Altmire, PA-7 Rep. Joe Sestak*, PA-10 Rep. Chris Carney, PA-11 Rep. Paul Kanjorski, and PA-12 Rep. Jack Murtha.

To the best of our knowledge, such an extensive and detailed list has not been released by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. However, the party does expect to spend money to take Rep. Jim Gerlach‘s district (PA-6) when he vacates it to run for Governor and will try to unseat Rep. Charlie Dent (PA-15).

The combined lists represent five seats currently rated A up for grabs (PA-4, 6, 11, 12, & 15), as well as one B rated seat (PA-10) and two F rated seats (PA-3 & 7). At this time, we do not have information about any likely competitors and their grades.

It would appear based on this information that the focus in districts 8, 13, and 19 will be on statewide and local offices with NRA endorsed candidates in 2010. As we get closer to the elections, we’ll have a better idea of competitive races and will keep you informed of relevant issues.

* Rep. Sestak is expected to vacate his Congressional seat to challenge Sen. Arlen Specter for his Senate seat. Therefore, this will likely be an open race with room for improvement from either side of the aisle since Rep. Sestak has consistently served as a voice of anti-gun organizations and last held an F rating with NRA.