A shooting occurred on the Fourth of July in Philadelphia, a city with some of the strictest gun control laws in the country, injuring two police officers and sending crowds into a panic.
The shooting occurred on the 2500 block of Spring Garden Street around 9:45 p.m. Monday injuring two police officers and sending crowds into a panic.
The shooter is still at large and the Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #5 has put up a $20,000 reward for any information leading to an arrest.
“We were inches away from planning a funeral for at least one brave, Philadelphia Highway Patrol officer as a bullet lodged in his cap,” said, FOP Lodge #5 President, John McNesby. “There are too many guns on our streets and far too many individuals acting recklessly with these deadly weapons.”
The Philadelphia highway patrol officer was carrying a funeral mass card in his hat honoring our recently fallen Chaplain, Father Steven Wetzel. “Father Steve has always supported and counseled our officers over the years and even now he’s still working miracles for our heroes,” said, McNesby.
The two officers were shot just as the Fourth of July fireworks show started on the Parkway and the sound of the explosions made it harder to hear where the shots were coming from and even harder to find who fired them, police say.
It didn’t take long for liberals to come out and want even more gun control, despite Philadelphia having some of the strictest gun control laws in the country.
Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney suggested the Second Amendment and the United States Supreme Court were too lenient when it came to gun rights, following a shooting that injured two police officers near a Fourth of July event on Monday night.
Standing outside the hospital where the two police officers were treated for gunshot injuries, Kenney told a group of reporters that only police officers should be allowed to own guns and that he is looking forward to retiring, so he no longer has to deal with gun violence.
Criminals don’t obey laws. The only ones hurt by stricter gun control are law-abiding citizens.
The cities that are majority affected by gun violence are Democrat-controlled cities.
Philadelphia has the fifth-highest rate of firearm homicide among peer cities in the country. Although violent crime is declining in Philadelphia, homicides have increased by 10% from 2017 to 2018.
Licenses to Carry a Gun in Philadelphia
In Philadelphia, the process to legally possess a firearm includes everything that is required under the State of Pennsylvania Rules and Requirements for firearm possession, as well as anything specifically required by the City and County of Philadelphia. In Pennsylvania, an individual with no prior record, no prior incidences of arrests involving drugs and/or alcohol, or any mental incapacitation can apply and, in most cases, will be granted a license to carry a firearm.
In addition, the City and County of Philadelphia has certain requirements for a carry permit or a concealed weapons permit when having a firearm in the City and County limits. In areas that are determined to be ‘cities of the first class’ in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia included), additional requirements do exist when dealing with firearms.
Therefore, when dealing with gun ownership and licenses in the City and County of Philadelphia, all requirements that are consistent with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania exist and an additional carry permit is required, even when firearms are carried on or about an individual’s person at all times.
Applying for a gun permit in Philadelphia
When an individual who is otherwise eligible to have a firearm in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania desires to obtain a gun permit within the City and County of Philadelphia, they must apply for a license to carry with the Licenses and Inspections unit of the Philadelphia Police Department.
The City Ordinances must be adhered to, and City Applications must be filled out through the Office of Licenses and Inspections and the Philadelphia Police Department. The final review is with the Attorney General’s Office for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and they will decide if the applicant should be granted a license to carry. In cases where a license is granted, the individual must adhere to all rules pertaining to the license and keep the license and information up to date.
You can only carry a firearm in Philadelphia if you have a permit to carry. It is the only place in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania that requires it. Pennsylvania is otherwise an open-carry state meaning that you can have a firearm on display on your hip.
You can carry a rifle on the back of your truck anywhere else in Pennsylvania other than Philadelphia. In Philadelphia, people may get pulled over or arrested for what is called FUFA violations of the uniform firearm act which is codified under 61.05 6105-6106.
The legislature has intended that they do not want people carrying guns in Philadelphia. So in Philadelphia, in order to carry a gun, you have to conceal it. However, in the state of Pennsylvania, you cannot carry a concealed weapon, only an open weapon.
The way the law works, in order to carry a gun in Philadelphia you must have a concealed weapons permit. Additionally, that weapon has to be concealed at all times on the streets.
Consequences for Convictions of Gun Charges
Gun and firearm charges are taken very seriously in the state of Pennsylvania. Gun charges vary depending on several different circumstances, such as whether you are a first-time offender or you had a loaded gun when you were arrested. If convicted, you may face several years in prison and fines of several thousand dollars. You may also lose your right to own or purchase firearms. Consider the following charges and their consequences:
- Carrying a concealed weapon without a permit (Felony): As many as seven years in prison and up to $15,000 in fines
- Carrying a firearm with the intent to commit a crime (Misdemeanor): As many as five years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines
- Illegally providing a firearm to a minor (Felony): As many as seven years in prison and up to $15,000 in fines
- Possession of body piercing armor (Felony): As many as seven years in prison and up to $15,000 in fines
- Removing identification numbers from a firearm (Felony): As many as ten years in prison and up to $25,000 in fines
