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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<\/p>\n
September 28, 2022<\/p>\n
Philadelphia, PA – Yesterday, lame-duck Mayor Jim Kenney signed an\u00a0executive order<\/a>\u00a0prohibiting individuals from lawful carry at all City of Philadelphia recreational facilities. The mayor\u2019s actions are in clear violation of Pennsylvania law prohibiting these types of local gun restrictions. Within hours of Mayor Kenney’s signing ceremony, Gun Owners of America (GOA)\u00a0filed a lawsuit<\/a>\u00a0to enjoin enforcement of this illegal gun regulation.<\/p>\n \u201cMayor Kenney knows this executive order is pointless: law abiding gun owners aren\u2019t the people committing the violent crime and murder in Philadelphia,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0said Dr. Val Finnell, Pennsylvania Director for GOA.<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cInstead, Mayor Kenney is trying to deflect attention from his failing policies and failing City by enacting more ‘feel good’ regulations that scapegoat guns for the crisis of crime in Philadelphia. Rather than take responsibility for city policies that created two years of record homicides, Kenney is attempting to capitalize on the tragic deaths of Philadelphia residents to disarm more people and create more victim-only, \u2018gun-free\u2019 zones. All this executive order does is put a bullseye on the back of every person at Philadelphia recreational facilities, because they know that Mayor Kenney won\u2019t let you defend yourself there.”<\/em><\/p>\n “The lack of respect for taxpayer money is appalling,”<\/em>\u00a0said Andrew Austin, attorney for GOA and the plaintiffs in this lawsuit.<\/strong>\u00a0“Pennsylvania law is clear here: Philly is not allowed to make gun regulations. Every appellate court in Pennsylvania has made this clear multiple times. Yet, they continue to waste taxpayer money by attempting to enact these illegal laws.”<\/em><\/p>\n Gun Owners of America will be seeking to enjoin enforcement of Mayor Kenney’s Executive Order in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas. In addition, GOA has previously filed several other lawsuits in Philadelphia in the last two years in pursuit of Second Amendment rights, and will continue to fight as long as necessary to ensure every citizen has the ability to defend themselves, particularly in lawless cities such as Mayor Kenney’s Philadelphia.<\/p>\n Dr. Val Finnell, or another GOA spokesperson is available for interviews. Gun Owners of America is a nonprofit grassroots lobbying organization dedicated to protecting the right to keep and bear arms without compromise. GOA represents over two million members and activists. For more information, visit\u00a0GOA\u2019s Press Center<\/a>.<\/p>\n -GOA-<\/p>\n