Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (D) has delivered on his promise to veto House Bill 979, which was passed in the State Legislature on Jan. 26.
“As promised, I just vetoed House Bill 979,”  Wolf announced on Twitter Feb. 3. “This bill would have discouraged local jurisdictions from attempting to regulate firearms. It’s irresponsible to put forth legislation like this at a time when injuries and deaths from gun violence are spiking.”
The legislation would also have granted anyone who was subjected to local regulations the option to sue, claim damages and seek a court injunction to halt the enforcement of such regulations. Wolf had previously stated that he would veto the law if it were to pass the State Legislature.
“Gun violence deaths are on the rise,” Wolf stated in a Jan. 31 tweet following the bill’s passage. “Our Legislature should act to save lives instead of passing bills like this one.”
In a letter to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, Wolf criticized the legislation as an “attack” on local governments that pursue “commonsense” measures to end gun violence.
“I have not received a bill from the General Assembly that seeks to address this issue in a meaningful way,” Wolf said in the letter. “Instead, I have received a bill that seeks to attack local governments who wish to find solutions for those that they serve.”
Although municipalities are prohibited in Pennsylvania from enforcing guns laws that regulate the ownership or transfer of weapons and ammunition, gun rights groups claim that municipalities regularly violate this prohibition by imposing gun restrictions, according to an ABC News report.
Prior to the legislation’s passage, Wolf announced a $15 million boost in funds for the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency’s Gun Violence Intervention and Prevention program.
The program aims to strengthen grassroots efforts to combat gun violence.
