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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 14, 2008 Gingrich Violated PA Constitution and Uniform Firearms Act with 1994 Palmyra Gun Ban  Russ Diamond, Republican candidate for the 101st legislative district, today called on incumbent Mauree Gingrich to explain why she violated the PA Constitution and the state's Uniform Firearms Act by signing and enacting a gun ban while serving as Palmyra Borough Council President in 1994.
The ban, included in a set of rules for Palmyra parks, puts Gingrich squarely on the side of Philadelphia gun-grabbers who want municipalities to enact their own gun control laws, creating a hodgepodge set of regulations across the Commonwealth. Gingrich's gun ban subjects anyone caught exercising their constitutionally-protected right to keep and bear arms in a Palmyra park to a fine of up to $300 or imprisonment for up to five days. The PA Constitution states that the individual right to keep and bear arms "shall not be questioned" while the Pennsylvania Uniform Firearms Act declares that "[n]o county, municipality or township may in any manner regulate the lawful ownership, possession, transfer or transportation of firearms." "Banning guns is an unconscionable black mark on Mrs. Gingrich's record," said Diamond. "Imagine this debate coming to the floor of the House of Representatives and some Philadelphia legislator pointing out that all they want to do by enacting their own gun bans is what a sitting Republican state legislator already did in Palmyra. What an utter embarrassment for the 101st district and Republicans everywhere." Diamond fully supports the individual right to keep and bear arms and will fight to protect that right in Harrisburg. He has brought Gingrich's 1994 gun ban to the attention of Palmyra's current Council members and recommended they work with an experienced gun-rights expert to modify the park rules and make them more appropriate and compliant with the Constitution and the Uniform Firearms Act. "Providing a solution for the current Council to solve this dilemma is the right thing to do," added Diamond. "I'd hate to see an illegal gun ban remain on the books and subject Palmyra's taxpayers to a costly lawsuit. A court battle might be okay for gun-grabbing Philadelphia liberals, but conservative Palmyra citizens simply won't stand for that sort of thing from their local government." Diamond also recommended that all other government entities in Lebanon County immediately review their own park rules to determine if they are exposed to a similar needless liability. "This is just one more example of Mrs. Gingrich ignoring the Constitution, the laws of this Commonwealth and conservative principles. There's no excuse for this. The 101st district needs someone in Harrisburg who pays attention to detail, defends Republican values and abides by their oath of office. I will fulfill those duties by never voting for any measure that infringes on constitutionally protected rights and by taking the time to properly consider every issue that comes before me," concluded Diamond. View Mauree Gingrich's Palmyra Gun Ban ### |
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