Quinn has introduced House Bill 159, which would require
background checks for private sales of long guns, including those sold at gun
shows. “There is clearly a historic loophole in the law, and I believe this is
a commonsense fix to ensure that only individuals who are legally qualified to
purchase firearms can do so,” Quinn said. “This bill will help to ensure that
firearms cannot continue to be purchased illegally.”
Currently, handgun sales between parents and children or
grandparents and grandchildren as well as sales between two registered law enforcement
officers do not require background checks. House Bill 159 would keep the same
exemptions for long guns, Quinn said.
Under current law,
long guns are defined in Pennsylvania as pistols with a barrel of 15 inches or
longer, a rifle with a barrel of 16 inches or longer, a shotgun with a barrel
of 18 inches or longer, or any firearm that is longer than 26 inches in total.
Additionally, House
Bill 159 would allow individuals at a gun show to secure one background check
for a 72-hour period to be used on multiple purchases at that show.
“Allowing people to go through one background check for the
entire show is a compromise aimed at helping law-abiding gun owners,” Quinn
said. “Gun reform is a difficult and politically volatile endeavor, so anytime we
can work toward a compromise that brings both sides together, we need to do so.
“I am in conversation with leadership in Harrisburg, and I
hope that we can move this bill forward when we return to Harrisburg in the
fall.”
