Pa. House advances bill ordering gun surrender in more domestic violence cases

HARRISBURG — The state House on Wednesday passed a bill that would require more people convicted of domestic abuse or subject to certain protective orders to surrender their guns within 24 hours.

The measure now heads to the state Senate. It is expected to come up for consideration there sometime before the two-year session ends in mid-November.

The bill passed by the House on Wednesday requires people who are convicted of certain domestic-abuse crimes or subject to a "final" protection-from-abuse order — which typically runs for a maximum of three years — to surrender their guns within 24 hours to law enforcement, a licensed dealer, or a lawyer.

Current law gives people 60 days to surrender their guns if a judge orders them to do so, and allows them to turn the guns over to friends and family members, among others.

The Senate unanimously passed a similar bill earlier this year.

Critics of the bill say they fear law enforcement doesn't have the resources to properly coordinate the storage and surrender of additional weapons, while victim advocates describe it as a crucial step toward preventing domestic violence.