Pennsylvania: Senate May Vote Tomorrow on Bill to Ban Pigeon Shoots, Firearms Preemption Bill Awaiting Action in Senate Judiciary Committee

As early as tomorrow, the Pennsylvania Senate could vote on House Bill 1750, previously reported on here.  HB 1750 would criminalize organized pigeon shoots in Pennsylvania.  Pigeon shooting is a traditional shooting sport and has many participants across the Commonwealth and around the world.  Shoots have been held in Pennsylvania for more than a hundred years, and their participants are law-abiding, ethical shooting enthusiasts, hunters and sportsmen.

Of course, opposition to pigeon shooting does not come from within the Commonwealth, but from the outside national animal "rights” extremist groups.  Led by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), they have organized and funded efforts in Pennsylvania and around the country to ban this longstanding traditional shooting sport.  These bans begin the slide down a slippery slope, and HSUS’s next stop will be regulated shooting grounds and a ban on the stocking of pheasants, as they attempted to do in neighboring New Jersey.

Please contact your state Senator immediately and urge him or her to OPPOSE HB 1750 and the banning of this traditional shooting sport in Pennsylvania.

Tomorrow also may see action on House Bill 1243, which passed in the state House of Representatives yesterday by a 143 to 54 vote and was referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee.  This critical firearms preemption bill may be in danger of being amended with anti-gun changes.  If any anti-gun amendments are adopted, it will kill the chances of enacting meaningful firearms preemption legislation this year.  It is critical that you use the contact information provided below to call and e-mail members of the Senate Judiciary Committee and urge them to report a clean bill out of committee, without the inclusion of any anti-gun amendments.

HB 1243 is necessary to strengthen Pennsylvania’s firearm preemption laws to provide consistency in the firearm and ammunition laws throughout the state.  Over the past four years, the Pennsylvania Legislature has failed to act on this important pro-gun reform, and to date, nearly fifty municipalities have enacted illegal local gun control ordinances, including Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Lancaster, Reading and the state capital of Harrisburg.

Senate Judiciary Committee:

Senator Stewart J. Greenleaf (R-12), Chairman
(717) 787-6599
sgreenleaf@pasen.gov

Senator Daylin Leach (D-17), Minority Chairman
(717) 787-5544

Senator John C. Rafferty, Jr. (R-44)
(717) 787-1398
jrafferty@pasen.gov

Senator Joseph B. Scarnati III (R-25)
(717) 787-7084
jscarnati@pasen.gov

Senator Richard L. Alloway II (R-33)
(717) 787-4651
alloway@pasen.gov

Senator John H. Eichelberger, Jr. (R-30)
(717) 787-5490
jeichelberger@pasen.gov

Senator John R. Gordner (R-27)
(717) 787-8928
E-mail

Senator Dominic Pileggi (R-9)
(717) 787-4712
E-mail

Senator Randy Vulakovich (R-40)
(717) 787-6538
E-mail

Senator Gene Yaw (R-23)
(717) 787-3280
gyaw@pasen.gov

Senator Lisa M. Boscola (D-18)
(717) 787-4236
boscola@pasenate.com

Senator Lawrence M. Farnese, Jr. (D-1)
(717) 787-5662
farnese@pasenate.com

Senator Wayne D. Fontana (D-42)
(717) 787-5300
fontana@pasenate.com

Senator Michael J. Stack (D-5)
(717) 787-9608
stack@pasenate.com