Today, in advance of Pittsburgh City Council’s December 18th meeting to formally announce its illegal firearm proposals, Firearms Industry Consulting Group® (FICG®), a division of Civil Rights Defense Firm, P.C., on behalf of its clients, Allegheny County Sportsmen’s League and Firearm Owners Against Crime (FOAC), filed a letter in opposition to the proposals; wherein, Chief Counsel Joshua Prince explains the constitutional and statutory protections and case law precluding such regulation. In the event Pittsburgh moves forward with the proposals, ACSL and FOAC will take legal action against the City and request that Allegheny County District Attorney Zappala file criminal charges against the Mayor and City Council for violations of 18 Pa.C.S. § 5301 (official oppression) and 18 Pa.C.S. § 6120 (preemption). A copy of the joint press release by ACSL and FOAC is available here.
If you are in a position to be able to support this matter, ACSL and FOAC would greatly appreciate donations, which can be made online through the Firm’s escrow account here – https://secure.lawpay.com/pages/civilrightsdefensefirm/trust. Simply place “ACSL/FOAC Pittsburgh Preemption Litigation” in the reference box.
If you or someone you know has been the victim of an unlawful municipal firearm or ammunition regulation or ordinance, contact FICG today to discuss your options.
Firearms Industry Consulting Group® (FICG®) is a registered trademark and division of Civil Rights Defense Firm, P.C., with rights and permissions granted to Prince Law Offices, P.C. to use in this article.
Published by Joshua Prince, Esq.
With our 2nd Amendment rights being attacked at both the Federal and State level, and the ATF (Burea of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives) trying to close down FFLs (Federal Firearms Licensees) for minor infractions while making FFLs the scapegoat when the ATF's records are inaccurate, I want to take this opportunity to introduce myself. I am one of only a handful of attorneys across the US that practices in the niche area of law known as firearms law. I decided to concentrate my legal practice on firearms law not only because I am a shooter and firearms enthusiast, but also to ensure that our inalienable Right to Keep and Bear Arms is never encroached upon.
I handle cases at the Federal and State level for both FFLs and individuals. At the federal and state levels for individuals, I actively defend the 2nd Amendment of the US Constitution and Section 21 of the PA Constitution, as well as, help individuals with:
- License to Carry Firearms Denials;
- Challenges to Erroneous PICS Denials;
- Relief from Firearms Disabilities;
- Estate Planning Advice;
- Gun/NFA Trusts; and
- 42 USC 1983 Actions for Deprivation of Civil Rights
At both the state and federal levels, I represent FFLs and SOTs throughout Pennsylvania and the US regarding:
- ATF Compliance Inspections;
- Warning Letters and Hearings;
- FFL Revocations;
- Corporate Structure Advice
- Indoor/Outdoor Range Implementation; and
- Forfeiture Proceedings
In following my love for firearms and firearms law, I have taught several Continuing Legal Education (CLE) seminars on Firearms in Estates and Trusts and Firearms Law 101 for several Bar Associations, including Berks, Cumberland, and Dauphin Counties. I also planned and taught several Firearms in Estates CLE classes for the Pennsylvania Bar Institute (PBI).
While at Widener Law School, I was a member of the Widener Law Journal. I wrote an article on the Inaccuracy of the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record (NFRTR). I also had an article published on Fee Disputes in Workers Compensation cases in the Widener Law Journal, Volume 18, No. 2.
You can often find me posting on several internet forums, including Subguns, Uzitalk, AR15, and PAFOA. I also hold PA Firearms Law classes for local ranges to inform the public on the firearm laws of the Commonwealth.
Following in my father's footsteps, I am also a Board member for the Pottstown Police Athletic League (PAL).
View all posts by Joshua Prince, Esq.
Prince Law Offices Blog 
I Thought you might find this enlightening:
City of Pittsburgh Granted $2 Million to Rehab Blighted Structures and Develop Affordable Housing
The Office of Mayor William Peduto and the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) thank Governor Tom Wolf for releasing a $2 million grant to promote affordable housing in the City of Pittsburgh. The funding will come from the Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP).
“We are appreciative of the Governor’s investment in western Pennsylvania. Opportunities like this provide not just the ability to address our affordable housing need, but additionally decreases urban blight in Pittsburgh. A partnership like this helps us ensure that Pittsburgh remains a city for all,” said Mayor William Peduto.
“Thanks to this generous NSP award from the Commonwealth, the URA, City of Pittsburgh and our community development partners will be able to turn 35 vacant and abandoned houses into affordable homeownership opportunities for Pittsburgh’s residents,” said Robert Rubinstein, URA executive director.
In partnership with the URA, the City will procure, reconstruct, and resell 35 abandon or foreclosed homes, with a focus in areas that have the greatest need in the city. After the houses are restored, the properties will be sold to buyers at or below 120 percent of the area median income. Additionally, twenty-five percent of the properties will be reserved to be sold to buyers with at or below 50 percent of the area median income.
NSP provides grants to communities to address the housing foreclosure crisis created by subprime and other problematic mortgage lending. This program is authorized under the federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program. In addition to promoting affordable housing, the grants also help address blight issues resulting from these abandoned or foreclosed homes.
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For those who don’t know it, this is the oath of enlistment that US military personnel swear to when we join the service and every time we re-enlist. We swear it with our lives, before God. For many of us, it will not expire until our last breath. This is why we stand in the face of the enemy, run to the sound of gun fire, fight to protect the rights and freedom of ALL of the people of this great nation and willingly give our lives in its defense. I can recite by heart!
I “Bek Foltz” do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the CONSTITUTION of the United States against all enemies FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice, So help me GOD!
This is why I stand against the legislation that is currently being pushed here in Pittsburgh PA and why I stand against sweeping disarmament of our cities defenders, our nations war fighters and every lawful citizen who will be illegally pillaged, plundered, criminalized, unlawfully detained and confined for exercising their Second Amendment Rights as guaranteed by that Constitution, which I have sworn to support and defend. I will continue do so with my last breath.
I understand there is a need for change, But stripping your nations trained protectors, those who have the courage and the means to fight, of property which will be utilized in this nations defense, is not the answer. If you care at all about the future of this city and this nation, then stand against this legislation here in Pittsburgh PA. Let your opposition be heard, before it’s too late. Let your HEROs know their sacrifices have not been in vain. Do not allow them to be stripped of their investments and thrown in Jail, as payment for being at the ready to answer this nations distress call and upholding their oaths. This legislation will not stop bad people from doing bad things. It will only hurt lawful citizens. There are BETTER AND MORE EFFECTIVE WAYS that will not have the negative consequences this legislation will have. A stand for the second amendment is a stand for your HEROS!
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You understand there is “a need for change”? There is no need for any change period. “SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED” is not up for debate and certainly not misunderstood. I am grateful for all men and women who take that or similar oaths to the constitution. However, serving in the military or any form of service does not enhance your 2nd amendment rights over others. Make no mistake…….SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED means NOT EVER and BY NO MEASURE!
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Mr Brown,
I ask that you step back for a moment, take a breath and reconsider what I have written, for you have mistaken my comments . You and I are in absolute agreement, we stand on the same side. “Shall not be infringed” leaves no variance for interpretation. Your passion on the topic is so strong, you have attacked a fellow countryman who presents the same stance, in its defense.
In my attempt not to be Verbose, I did not elaborate on the Change I was referring to and perhaps I should have. There is a need for change here in the city sir. Better and more effective ways to make this City a safer place. Things like, More accesses to affordable quality mental health care. We have wonderful providers here, but they have neither the power nor the resources to help all those in need of care. The wayward youth are in need of programs to give them a way out. Out of the gangs and off of the streets. Away from a life life of crime and an early grave, onto a better path where they can succeed and pull thier families out of lives of poverty by constructive means. Our police force has a youth intervention program where they meet with these high risk teams to bridge the gap and bring down the walls that exist between them, but this program and others like it go unfunded. There are groups forming to address hatrid who work with those with extremists views, to help them come around to a different way of thinking, so they do not turn into homicidal rasists who are bent on genocide. These groups need support, backing and participants and as a Society we need to standup and address hatred on the spot where we see it. People need to be told when their hateful behavior or bullying of another is inappropriate and that it will not be tolerated. Everyone does not have to love one another, but they don’t have a right to harm one another either. And this city needs changes to its judicial system so that criminals stop being given get out of jail free cards. We have repeate offenders who are remanded time after time after time for gun possession. The failure to uphold the current gun laws on the books already is putting law enforcement officers at risk for gun violence when they have to go apprehended these people over and over and over again, because the courts refuse to throw the book at them! And those are only a few of my opinions on what will bring real and positive change and. I am sure the lawful citizens of this City know of many more. But nowhere in that need for change do I believe a lawful citizen should be forced to forfeit thier rights under the second amendment of the constitution of these United States! This mass disarmament is not fruitful. It is lazy political maneuvering by people who are persuing thier own agendas. If they cared about the people of this city and of this nation, they would set aside thier politely allegiances and invest thier time and energy, thier blood, sweat and tears, into much needed programs that have the ability to reduce violence and hate. Programs that would not have negative impacts on the lawful citizens of the city, this state, or our nation! Programs that would not weaken this city of Steel!
Sir, I am really at a loss as to how my oath to support and defend the constitution and to bear true faith and allegiance to the same, somehow translated to you to mean I or those like myself, feel we have an enhanced 2nd amendment right over others? I would venture to say, most US Military and Veterans who share in my views as supporters of the 2nd Ammendment, do not feel we have a right to be armed over any other lawful citizen of the United States. We often exercise that right, because we have been extensively trained and are battle hardened, but we are sworn to protect and defend the Second Ammendment for all! Many of us have been to the far ends of the earth and have seen first hand what lawlessness does to societies. We understand what happens when people fall under tyrany and suppressive rule. We have seen societies fall under strict military rule and will be some of the first ones to advocate for the continued existence of a well regulated milita, not only for the safety and defense of this nation from hostile forces, but from our own wayward government as well. We understand the need for checks and balance. We do not walk around with our heads in the clouds, nor buried in the sand. We whole heartedly in the need for ALL lawful citizens of this nation to continue to have the right to bear arms.
My point in my first comment, was not to present a stance of one group of lawful people having any different entitlement to our rights then any other group of lawful people. In the event of War, we will need any and every free person with the ability and will to fight, to take up arms in this nations defense. The Military can only be stretched so far and self defense will be vital. Please understand the information I am trying to spread in the contex of this City. Our news and the people driving this legislation are leading people to believe this is nothing to be concerned about. It’s only taking away things like M-16s and M-4s and other assault weapons of war. They don’t know that under the definitions, that something as small as a 22 pistol can be labeled as an assault weapon. Or that a bit of grandfather clause which makes it sound like lawful owners will be able to keep thier “assault weapons” to defend themselves with is a farce when you look at the big picture, because without a magazine, it’s nothing more then a momento that equates to a pretty crappy club… They are being led to believe that no lawful citizen will be harmed or come under attack from this legislation. We have had a socialist come into power in our district who has publicly stated that her district is mostly made up of poor white male bigots and some democrats have added to this stating that all republicans are bigots and they can’t wait to watch them taking all of the guns away from the poor middle aged white male republican bigots. They think it is criminals, terrorists, right winged extremists/hate groups and the severly mentally ill who will be targeted and taken out by this legislation and they don’t realize that thier understanding couldn’t be farther from the truth.
What I am trying to get across, is this will hurt every lawful citizen of this city and if left unchecked and unchallenged could sweep the country and weaken us as a nation. That it will effect everyone from little kids playing with toy guns in the yard, to little old grandmothers still living at home alone. It will harm doctors, lawyers, housewives and volunteers and it will harm those who they least expect, this nations protectors and defends, law enforcement and other first responders, the unsung day to day HEROs of our lives and those who have spilled blood, on the front lines, in defense of these specific rights, they are actively trying to take away. They need to know, this will harm thier families, thier neighbors and thier friends. No one will be spared. So, Sir, I apologize if I worded something in a way that gave you the opportunity to interrupt my comments differently. But I humbly agree in the need for this nations milita, that it continues to be necessary for the security of a free state and that the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed. Make no bones about it. I have sworn an oath to such and I will support and defend it with my last breath and there are other keeper of the oath who would do the same, not just for one, but for all!
You are very passionate Sir, and we need people with that passion to speak out, So I ask you and anyone else in agreement with you, to start flooding Pgh city councils offices, pa representatives and senators offices, and our nations congress with letters, to make it known that you do not support these legislations or any future legislation which attack the second Amendment. We need to take the faces behind the phones and tablets and computers who are displeased with these actions and Join our countrymen in the streets and halls, where they gather to protest such legislation. We are in for a long haul and we must rally together and keep up the fight or they will take away our rights and bring down this nation from within. They are pushing to implement the same or similar legislation across the United States and they mean to drain all the funding from those who oppose them. We cannot continue to rely on the generosity of others to fight this battle for us, the people must take a stand and let our voices be heard!
In the words of Samuel Adams “ It does not take a majority to prevail… but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of FREEDOM in the minds of men”
A vote for the Second Amendment is a vote for FREEDOM!
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Mr Foltz,
Thank you for clarifying to me your position. I agree many things in our society need to change to ensure a hopeful future to our children and theirs. However, this proposed attack on our 2nd amendment right needs to be a focused fight. Nothing else needs to be discussed but the 2nd amendment and the politicians that wish to dismantle it. I think we can agree that there has never been an argument made that sticks to the scope and reason for the 2nd amendment in the first place. I tell you the truth sir, and I stake my life on the truth that for me there is no compromise.
Thank you and God bless,
Ron
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