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Philadelphia committee backs requirement for gun dealers to post warning about unlawful firearm transfers
Summary
Philadelphia’s Public Safety Committee advanced a bill requiring licensed firearms dealers to post signs warning that buying a gun for someone else (a “straw purchase”) is a crime. The Police Department testified in full support and offered to produce signage at no cost; the committee voted to report the bill with a favorable recommendation.
The Philadelphia City Council Committee on Public Safety on Tuesday advanced legislation that would require licensed firearms dealers to post visible warnings that purchasing a gun for someone else is a criminal offense.
Councilmember Pierre Jones, the bill’s lead sponsor, said the requirement responds to what he and other officials observed at a gun show in Oaks, Pennsylvania, where they saw people appear to be buying firearms on behalf of others. Jones said the signage is intended to deter unlawful transfers and “save lives, literally.”
The measure (Bill 241,057) would amend Chapter 9-600 of the Philadelphia Code to add a mandatory posting requirement at licensed dealers. Deputy Commissioner Frank Healy of the Philadelphia Police Department told the committee the department “fully support[s]” the bill and described straw purchasing as “a serious offense” that “directly undermines public safety.” Healy said the department would help implement the rule by producing and distributing the required signs at no cost to dealers.
Why it matters: City police described straw purchases as a key pathway by which firearms move from lawful sales into criminal use, and the bill’s supporters said clear signage at the point of sale could act both as a deterrent and as a prompt for dealers to ask questions of suspicious buyers.
Healy said the sign would provide notice of criminal penalties, and that the department recommended posting in English and Spanish while remaining open to additional languages where needed. He also said the number of licensed gun dealers inside Philadelphia is “under 10,” and confirmed the department would try to provide data showing where straw-purchased firearms are traced to crimes.
Council questions and committee action: Committee members pressed the police on local data about straw purchases and on whether the signage could be effective in different neighborhoods. Healy said he did not have specific local statistics at the hearing but offered to provide maps and any task-force data the department could share. After testimony and questions the committee voted to report Bill 241,057 out of committee with a favorable recommendation and to suspend Council rules to permit first reading at the next Council session.
What the bill does not do: The bill requires dealers to post warning signs; it does not change who may legally purchase firearms or alter state or federal criminal statutes. Police testimony emphasized the signage is intended as notice and deterrence, not a licensing change.
Next steps: The committee’s favorable report sends the ordinance to full City Council for its first reading and further consideration.
