PA Democrats (And Some Republicans) Seek To Preclude The Amish And Others With Closely Held Religious Beliefs From Procuring Firearms

Posted on by Joshua Prince, Esq.

As some of you may be aware, PA House Bill 714 seeks to preclude the sale or transfer of any form of firearm, in the absence of it being transferred through a Federal Firearms Licensee (“FFL”). During the PA House vote on this bill, not only did every Democrat (except for Frank Burns) vote in favor of it, but also, nine (9) putative Republicans – Sheryl Delozier, Valerie Gaydos, Joe Hogan, Kristin Marcell, Rob Mercuri, Natalie Mihalek, K.C. Tomlinson, Martina White, and Craig Williams – also voted in favor of it.

Beyond there being no historical support for such a law and it thus being unconstitutional on Second Amendment grounds per the U.S. Supreme Court’s holding in Bruen v. NYSRPA, if enacted, it would force the Amish to choose between their First and Second Amendment rights, as their religious beliefs preclude them from having their photos taken and Federal law precludes an FFL from selling or transferring a firearm to an individual who does not have photo ID; thereby, precluding the Amish from purchasing a firearm due to their closely held religious beliefs. Even though, we can all agree that none of us are born with photo ID and the US Government already has laws in place to establish our identities for purposes of procuring photo ID, the US Government will not allow the Amish (or others with such closely held religious beliefs) to utilize the same documents for purposes of purchasing firearms that it has deemed sufficient to procuring photo ID.

By supporting HB 714, these members of the PA General Assembly are telling the Amish (and similarly situated) that they need to pick and choose between their First and Second Amendment rights, as they cannot have both. That is abhorrent and should shock the conscience of every single American.

If you care about both your religious freedoms and your right to keep and bear arms, first, it is imperative that you reach out to your PA State Senator and demand that they not allow this unconstitutional bill out of the Senate Judiciary Committee or to the extent it is reported out of committee, that they vote NO during any passage vote. Second, we must ensure that putative Republicans Sheryl Delozier, Valerie Gaydos, Joe Hogan, Kristin Marcell, Rob Mercuri, Natalie Mihalek, K.C. Tomlinson, Martina White, and Craig Williams are not re-elected, as they clearly do not respect our Constitutional rights.

If you, a family member or someone you know is having their constitutional rights violated, contact Firearms Industry Consulting Group today to discuss YOUR rights and legal options. Together, we can ensure that our inviolate Constitutional rights are here and not eroded for our children and grandchildren.

 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.

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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).

6 thoughts on “PA Democrats (And Some Republicans) Seek To Preclude The Amish And Others With Closely Held Religious Beliefs From Procuring Firearms”

  1. Pingback: PA Democrats (And Some Republicans) Seek To Preclude The Amish And Others With Closely Held Religious Beliefs From Procuring Firearms – Whatfinger Community

  2. I’m sure this is a pressing problem within the Amish community… All my Amish friends who pack heat were upset at the gun show last week. You can’t blame them. Everyone knows how much they love guns.

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  3. Pingback: The State vs the Amish (Part Deux) - GAT Daily (Guns Ammo Tactical)

  4. I think I must be missing something here……it appears that Mr Prince is saying that HB 714 would require that Amish (and others) folks show a photo ID. I can’t find where HB 714 speaks to photo ID at all. The section of the legal code that HB714 addresses does include a provision for a non-photo ID (6111.b.2) to be substituted for members of a recognized religious organization that discourages pictures being taken. Am I reading this wrong? Can you clarify?

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    1. As mentioned in the article, Federal law precludes a Federal Firearms Licensee to sell or transfer a firearm to an individual in the absence of photo ID. As this bill would require all firearms to be transferred through a Federal Firearms Licensee, if enacted, it will preclude the Amish and other with similar closely held beliefs from purchasing or having transferred to them, all forms of of firearms.

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  5. Could we hope that perhaps -perhaps- those who voted in favor of PA HB714 were NOT AT WORK -physically or mentally- the day this issue was discussed in detail?

    I can also just imagine that there are people in this world who have the power to make these proposals at a time when, to present them for a vote would best suit their intentions. —just thinking—.

    Yes we need to reach out to our PA State Senator.

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