Group Threatens Lawsuit Over Pittsburgh Gun Measures

As the city of Pittsburgh considers enacting gun control legislation in defiance of state law, pro-gun groups are digging in for the fight to come.

It seems likely that the measures will pass the city council vote easily enough. Urban centers like Pittsburgh tend to lean left politically, after all, so it’s unlikely there’s sufficient opposition to the proposal. If there is, it’s only in that the lawmakers opposing it know it’ll never stand.

Advertisement

That means the new gun control laws will pass.

That also means the inevitable lawsuit, which one group is already threatening to file.

Allegheny County Sportsmen’s League and Firearm Owners Against Crimes warned City Council and the mayor Monday that if the proposal passes, they will take legal action.

Read a portion of the letter sent to the city below:

“In the event Pittsburgh enacts these proposed unlawul ordinances, ACSL and FOAC are prepared to take legal action against the City, which will result in substantial additional burdens on the taxpayers…”

The proposals introduced in City Council include a ban on assault weapons, a ban on accessories, ammunition and weapon modifications.

Also being proposed is the city’s version of what sounds like red flag protective orders.

The fact of the matter is that this bill needs to be fought and fought hard. If it passes, a lawsuit needs to be filed. Any measure passed by the city violates the state’s preemption law.

While the governor seems to be supportive of the efforts in Pittsburgh, it’s important to remember that he’s not the state government. He’s merely one part of it. Granted, he’s a significant part of it, but he’s not a dictator who can create new laws by fiat. His support means little if it goes against the law itself.

That means this will go to court, and it will be stricken down.

Preemption laws have a nasty tendency to be upheld by courts, particularly state courts. This is especially true when the state in question has a constitution that expressly protects the right to keep and bear arms, which Pennsylvania does.

Advertisement

The Allegheny County Sportsmen’s League and Firearm Owners Against Crimes are threatening to do the one thing that absolutely has to happen if Pittsburgh goes ahead with this nonsense. They’re doing God’s work on this as everyone has a right to defend themselves and that also includes using whatever means needed to do so.

Frankly, I want to start seeing cities who do this crap be penalized. Perhaps they should start being punished by losing a percentage of state and federal funding.

Maybe it’s time to start penalizing the jackwagons in office when they try things like this, make them pay legal fees for those trying to defend their civil rights. At the end of the day, that’s what all of this is about.

Join the conversation as a VIP Member