CeaseFirePA rises in strong opposition to President Donald Trump’s apparent decision to fire pardon attorney Elizabeth Oyer for refusing to reinstate gun ownership rights to Mel Gibson, who is a prohibited purchaser due to his domestic violence conviction.
CeaseFirePA Education Fund’s Executive Director Adam Garber said:
Putting guns back in the hands of domestic abusers endangers lives. Domestic abuse victims are five times more likely to die when their abuser has a firearm. In 2023 there were 119 fatalities from domestic violence and 77 percent of those were killed by firearm according to the PA Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
Any consideration of restoring gun rights should be through a full evaluation and thoughtful process–not a whim or special favor.
Keeping families safer is not partisan or political in Pennsylvania.. In 2018, this state passed Act 79 to reduce access to firearms for someone with a Protection From Abuse (PFA) order against them. The law requires near immediate weapons relinquishment to law enforcement or a licensed gun dealer after an adjudicated PFA. Thanks to bipartisan support it has saved lives for six years.
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CeaseFirePA envisions life without gun violence that allows people from every community across the commonwealth to thrive — where communities feel safe, because they are safe.
For more information about its mission and campaigns, visit ceasefirepa.org
