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)

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

Week 4
Jim Gerlach
Congressman Jim Gerlach has been targeted by many groups to try and flip this A rated seat to less friendly opposition. The seat leans Democratic by voter registration, so it will draw many outside groups who want to defeat this Republican Congressman. In fact, out-of-state groups have been airing attack ads throughout the Philadelphia-area media markets consistently since last year.

On gun rights issues, Congressman Gerlach has been working on our behalf recently, including signing on to a brief in the McDonald case to support the incorporation of the Second Amendment. With major political initiatives from President Obama’s agenda likely to take the back burner after the elections, we need to make sure that gun rights don’t become a target in Congress. Representative Gerlach will make sure we’re protected in Washington, DC.
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District 4
Jason Altmire, Democrat

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Keith Rothfus, Republican

• Twitter – @keithpa4
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Mary Beth Buchanan, Republican

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District 5
Glenn Thompson, Republican

• Twitter – @CongressmanGT
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Michael Pipe, Democrat

• Twitter – @MichaelPipe
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District 6
Jim Gerlach, Republican

• Twitter – @GerlachforPA
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Patrick Sellers, Republican

• Twitter – @Sellers4PA6
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Manan Trivedi, Democrat

• Twitter – @MananTrivedi
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Doug Pike, Democrat

• Twitter – @dougpike
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We’ll feature more candidates in the future.

Right now, eyes are focused on PA-12. Deceased Congressman John Murtha was a dedicated advocate for the Second Amendment, and many of his possible replacements are unknowns. Last weekend, local Democratic activists selected longtime aide Mark Critz to run for the special election to complete the term, and they will likely back him during the primary election to be held the same day. However, the Democratic state committee is expected to meet today to issue the formal endorsement for the special election seat, and that may not be Critz. Though he has local support, the state officials may opt for someone else to appear on the ballot with local support.

On the Republican side, local party leaders will meet on Thursday to select a candidate for the special election, and presumably give party support for the primary election. Unlike the Democratic Party, the state leaders in the GOP cannot override the local decision.

Beyond the the southwest corner, there are other races heating up. PoliticsPA has started a new feature to examine the competitiveness of various Congressional races each month. The race for PA-12 is considered only the fourth most competitive race. Their predicted hotbed of activity? PA-7, the seat vacated by Congressman Joe Sestak.

For known incumbents, gun owners in PA-11 will have their hands full with the race featuring pro-gun Congressman Paul Kanjorski. Early polling indicates he is very weak and may be defeated. Up in the northwest corner, Congresswoman Kathy Dahlkemper will face a big challenge. In a record year for Democrats in 2008, she just squeezed out a 7,000 vote victory over the incumbent representative. This year may be the best chance to oust this F-rated freshman in PA-3.

At little closer to the Southeast, we have the 7th, 8th, and 9th most competitive races with PA-15 (pro-gun Congressman Charlie Dent), PA-8 (with leaning anti-gun Congressman Patrick Murphy), and PA-6 (with pro-gun Congressman Jim Gerlach). These are vital races for Pennsylvania gun owners, and we need to turn out long before election day to make sure the right men and women take office.

While most campaigns are wrapping up their signature collection efforts, there are still plenty of activities for those looking to give a little of their time in support of the Second Amendment. If you want to help out, just contact us and we’ll let you know what is going on in your area.

UPDATE: The Democratic Party has formally selected Mark Critz to run in the special election on May 18 to fulfill the rest of his boss’s term. It is expected that he will have challengers for the other election that day – the primary election for the regular November election.

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.