Faith-Based Leaders Seek Gun Purchase Compromise

Philadelphia — Faith leaders from the Delaware Valley met with gun shop owner James Colosimo Thursday afternoon to seek a collaboration on regulating certain gun purchases and frequency of gun purchases.

Fueled by the belief that gun-related crime devastates families and straw purchases run rampant in North Philadelphia, eight faith-based organizations around the city united to confront the gun proprietor and offer best practices advice when it comes to gun sales.

Rev. Isaac Miller, pastor of the Church of the Advocate in North Philadelphia, said the groups are seeking the adoption by Pennsylvania gun stores of a non-legislative, non-burdensome “code of conduct,” similar to the Responsible Firearms Partnerships Agreement between Wal-Mart department stores, a top gun seller in the U.S., and the Mayors Against Illegal Guns coalition.

“Part of our overall efforts have to do with getting a bill through the state legislature that would limit gun sales to one gun a month, and to require reporting of lost or stolen handguns,” said Mr. Miller. 

While the Pennsylvania General Assembly has been reluctant to enact legislation allowing Philadelphia to author its own gun laws, these community groups were adamant in their efforts to work with Colosimo’s instead of against it.

“I think what led us to focus on Colosimo’s is that it is one of the major gun dealers in this area,” said Mr. Miller. “The code represents a commitment on the part of a retail gun sales business to limit the kind of guns that are available and bought in large numbers, and then resold to people who would otherwise not be able to purchase them.

 “This is the kind of thing that breaks hearts all the way around,” he said.

Jenny DeHuff can be reached at jdehuff@thebulletin.us