Philadelphia Defies Harrisburg Over Gun Control Legislation for City

Philadelphia Defies Harrisburg Over Gun Control Legislation for City

Philadelphia's battle with Harrisburg over gun laws ratcheted up on Thursday: City Council unanimously passed five gun-control laws without state approval, and the mayor promised to sign them and order their enforcement.

Among the five measures is a bill that requires reporting of lost and stolen guns, and one that imposes a one-handgun-a-month limit on new purchases.

The sponsor is councilman Darrell Clarke:

"We think those two are primarily the pieces of legislation that will give us the best opportunity to stop this proliferation of straw (gun) purchases in the City of Philadelphia."

Many believe that only the state has the authority to pass such laws, and Clarke is separately suing the state legislature for failing to act.

Mayor Nutter is on board with Clarke -- he was arranging to sign the bills later on Thursday and says he will order his police commissioner to begin enforcing them.

The other measures approved on Thursday include a ban on certain semiautomatic weapons, and a bill that lets police confiscate guns from people whom the officers consider to be a risk to themselves or others.