The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled 6-0 against Philadelphia’s attempt to secure exemptions in the state’s preemption law sufficient to allow the city to enact its own gun controls.
Preemption laws exist in numerous states around the country, barring municipalities from passing gun controls that exceed gun controls enacted at the state level.
The administration Philadelphia’s previous Mayor, Jim Kinney (D), filed suit against Pennsylvania in 2020, seeking to secure the ability for the city to pass gun controls that go beyond those at the state level.
On October 7, 2020, the Philadelphia Inquirer noted that Kinney announced the lawsuit and “[spoke] at a packed news conference in Germantown to promote the legal action, [claiming] preemption ‘handcuffs’ local governments from taking measures that could protect residents.”
The attorneys working for the Kinney administration suggested the state’s preemption law “actively [prevents] an effective gun safety approach that would save the lives, property, and bodily integrity of Pennsylvania residents, particularly in low-income neighborhoods in the largest cities.”
On November 20, 2024, the PA Supreme Court ruled in against Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Inquirer indicated the court found “the city’s arguments had fallen ‘woefully short’ of the standard needed for a legal victory.”
Criminals don’t abide by gun control laws or any laws as a matter of fact.