Update on Rally in Harrisburg

The LGBT Philadelphia contigent was active at the Rally in Harrisburg for stricter gun laws in the states capitol on September 26th. We had over 30 people in attendance and all of us met with staff in state legislators' offices to support Mayor Streets "one gun a month" legislation.

Group Photo in Philly before going to Harrisburg

Group Pic in Harrisburg: expressing our pride


LGBT advocates on the Capitol steps making a presence


There were hundreds of people at the Rally on the Capitol steps


Mayor John Street closes out the rally with his speech

Why the need for this bill?
Did you know that in the state of Pennsylvania that a person with merely a permit, can purchase as many guns as they want at any given time? Literally a person can walk into the gun store and buy 20 guns at one time if they wish. Unfortunately this exact scenario happens often in real life, which is how the streets get flooded with guns. A new term I learned in this process is called "straw purchases", which is used to identify a process where someone who has a legal permit to purchase guns does so and sells them to people often times who don't have a permit. People who don't have a permit, don't have one for a reason, usually because they are a convicted felon, have lost their ability to legally carry a gun for some reason or because they are a minor. I don't know about you, but I don't want either of those people getting access to as many guns as they want because of lax gun laws!

It seems silly that we'd have to fight state legislators so hard for something so simple and humanistic! Mayor Street is asking that the law be changed so that only one gun a month can be purchased by a person with a legal permit. Even that's a lot, but it's much better than unlimited purchases as often as you want. Who needs 12 guns a year?! I wonder if those in the capitol found themselves mourning the loss of family members from gun violence, if they would finally wake up to the need to pass this legislation?!

Blacks in the inner city of Philadelphia know all too well what the plethora of guns is doing to our community. There are over 280 homicides in this city so far this year, the vast majority of them involving guns. That is about 1 death a day to gun violence! Several victims this year have been less than 10 years old! Two days before we went to Harrisburg, a 5 year old girl was killed as her mother drove down the street and happened to find herself in the crossfire of a shootout, which claimed the life of her daughter. When will this madness end? While there is no simple answer to this question, I know one thing: if you limit the number of guns that are available on the street, you will make a dent in gun related violence.

Another part of the legislation Mayor Street is trying to get passed would allow for an increase in funding for social service programs for inner city neighborhoods in Philadelphia. Though the issue of decreasing violence will take a multi-dimensional approach, increasing effective social service intervention programs is definitely a crucial need in this fight to decrease violence.

Let's hope that those in Harrisburg who have the power to make this legislation happen, will do so. We can't afford to continue to allow the overflow of guns on our streets, that most often are claiming the lives of young Blacks. Do those in Harrisburg have to wait until it's an issue effecting affluent suburban Whites before they will take action? If we have not learned our lesson by now that an issue that plagues one segment of the community so virulently, effects us all, then we will continue to pay the cost of our ignorance.

Please write your state legislators in support of the Mayor's bill. This is a much needed first step in a larger battle to save our community. Click here to find your state legislator. If you want suggestions on what to write to your legislative official Email me