HARRISBURG – Philadelphia County Rep. Darisha Parker has introduced legislation to improve the PA Instant Check System to purchase guns and raise the minimum age to purchase and possess a firearm to 21.The bills were introduced in response to rising gun violence. In PA, every firearm sale carried out by a licensed seller must involve a request for a criminal history, juvenile delinquency history, and mental health record check of the potential purchaser or transferee. The Legislative Budget and Finance Committee determined that the current fee and surcharge structure that funds the Instant Check System is inadequate. In order to cover costs, fees and surcharges would need to increase from $5 to $16. Parker added that evidence shows that laws raising the minimum legal age to purchase firearms to 21 are associated with decreases in firearm deaths and suicides among young people. She said the goal is not removing firearms from legal gun owners, but to reduce rates of firearm violence and self-harm among young people.
REP. DARISHA PARKER