A legislative committee on Tuesday soundly rejected two gun-control measures just moments after Gov. Ed Rendell made a rare appearance before the panel to personally appeal to lawmakers to think of families torn apart by gun violence, not of lobbyists.
After Rendell spoke, the House Judiciary Committee debated little before defeating one bill to limit most handgun purchases to one per month and another bill to empower local governments to enact their own gun-control laws. The votes were 12-17 and 10-19, respectively. Legislators tabled a third bill that would require owners to promptly report lost or stolen guns. |