Four gun bills — each with little chance of becoming law — have been introduced in the state Legislature.

Rep. Kevin Boyle, D-Philadelphia/Montgomery, has proposed legislation banning large capacity magazines, Melissa Shusterman, D-Chester/Montgomery, has proposed legislation raising the age to purchase semi-automatic rifles to 21 years of age and legislation requiring a permit for to own semi-automatic rifles, and Sen. Art Haywood, D-Montgomery, has introduced legislation requiring a firearm eligibility license to buy any firearm.

Boyle (House Bill 2621) proposes Pennsylvania limit overall capacity of any ammunition magazine to 10 rounds. Several states have similar limits, including California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, Colorado, Vermont, the District of Columbia, New Jersey and New York.

“In some cases, large capacity ammunition magazines can hold up to 100 rounds of ammunition,” Boyle wrote in his legislative justification. “That’s 100 shots that can be fired in rapid succession, one after another, without ever having to reload. While typically associated with machine guns or semiautomatic assault weapons, large capacity ammunition magazines can be used in any semiautomatic firearm that accepts a detachable magazine. Due to their ability to hold so many rounds of ammunition, large capacity ammunition magazines significantly increase the lethality of the automatic and semi-automatic firearms using them. Tragically, these magazines have been frequently used in horrendous acts of violence.”

New York recently passed legislation to raise the age to own semiautomatic weapons to 21 years of age. Shusterman proposes similar legislation in Pennsylvania after mass shootings in Buffalo and New York were carried out by 18-year-olds. Weapons in both cases were purchased legally. Unlike the New York legislation, Shusterman’s age limit would only apply to rifles capable of holding more than five rounds of ammunition.

“This is unacceptable — we cannot continue to sit idly by as mass shootings repeatedly put the lives of our children and educators at risk,” Shusterman said regarding House Bill 2681. “My legislation would prohibit the sale of a semi-automatic assault rifle to juveniles under 21. However, in order to balance the interests of these individuals to be able to hunt and shoot for sport and the state’s interest in preventing mass shootings, my legislation will only apply to assault rifles capable of holding more than five rounds of ammunition.”

Shusterman also proposes creating a Semi-Automatic Assault Rifle Safety Certification Course (House Bill 2680) before anyone can purchase a semi-automatic rifle in Pennsylvania.

“We do restrict access to cars – and one way we do it is by requiring anyone wanting to drive a car in Pennsylvania to pass a test administered by a State Trooper to show that the driver knows how to safely operate a vehicle,” Shusterman wrote in her legislative memorandum. “It’s time to do the same with semi-automatic assault rifles. Nobody is saying a legal citizen can’t own one, but we are saying it’s time owners understand the responsibilities, not just their rights.”

Haywood, meanwhile, takes a similar idea an expands it to include all guns with Senate Bill 1253. He would create a firearm eligibility license similar to the state’s license to carry. The license would be available to anyone age 18 and older, require completion of a firearm safety course within the last three years and require the license holder to be eligible to buy and have a firearm. Police officers, members of the armed forces and corrections officers would be exempt. Getting a license would require a review of the applicant’s criminal history, juvenile delinquency records and mental health records and investigation to make sure the license holder is eligible to have a gun.

“My goal is simple: to ensure that our communities are safe places for our children to grow,” Haywood wrote in his legislative justification. “This legislation is not intended to punish responsible gun owners. In fact, the New England Journal of Medicine reports that most American gun owners support going through law enforcement to receive a permit. It is also important to note that Maryland enacted a similar proposal that has been upheld in federal court.”

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