Firearm Rights

Article 1, Section 21 of the Pennsylvania Constitution, “The right of the citizens to bear arms in defense of themselves and the State shall not be questioned” clearly indicates that Pennsylvania's founders believed that this right was guaranteed to us as citizens. Moreover, studies have consistently found that arming law abiding citizens reduces violent crime and makes us all safer (see e.g. Would Banning Firearms Reduce Murder and Suicide? A Review of International and Some Domestic Evidence, Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy, Kates and Mauser, Spring 2007). Unfortunately, the "debate" in Harrisburg consistently misses this point.