The House will convene a "committee of the whole" to debate and take informal straw votes on proposals to stem crime and violence in Pennsylvania. Guns will be a big topic of conversation...
House Majority Leader Sam Smith, R-Jefferson, came up with the "committee of the whole" idea as an alternative to something unpleasant that was looming at the end of last spring's legislative session.
Rep. Dwight Evans, D-Philadelphia, had filed motions to force floor votes on gun control bills to curb murders in Philadelphia. Specifically, Evans wants to limit the sale of handguns to an individual to once a month, ban military-style assault weapons and require gun owners to report lost or stolen weapons within 24 hours.
If Evans had brought his motion to the floor, the House would have been plunged into the gun control debate at the very time it was working to pass a new state budget.
Smith proposed the September session as a way for everyone to get their say at a time when nothing else pressing was on the agenda. Everyone emerges a potential winner from this.
Smith avoided a big headache at a time when he didn't need it last June.
And we all know coming to an agreement on how we divvy up the plunder is much more important than the unalienable rights of the sovereign citizens we're supposed to serve.
"Everyone emerges a winner"? Only an "authorized journalist" could present such a blatantly absurd and untrue statement--and be either too oblivious or agenda-driven to not cringe with embarrassment.
You don't want headaches, Smith? They go with the glory. If you can't do the job, bid off.
Yeah, I know the gun lobby groups give you kudos for voting their way--but why don't you try some proactive leadership, and use your bully pulpit to continuously expose Evans for the the fascist idiot that he is.
You have all the ammunition you need to shoot down every one of his claims right here.
Use it, damn it.