Gun owners defend their rights at Pa. Capitol rally; ‘guns are not inherently violent’

Gun owners from across Pennsylvania gathered Monday on the Capitol steps for the annual Right to Keep and Bear Arms Rally, with the theme “United We Stand.”

“Without the Second Amendment nothing else would matter. That Second Amendment protects everything else,” said Jerel Crewe, founder of the organization That Gun Talk to crowd of about 50 who gathered despite the falling rain. “We have more in common than you think. We are stronger together.”

Crewe and his wife, Karise Crewe, were the featured speakers at the rally, and are nationally recognized right-to-carry advocates. That Gun Talk provides education, training and self-defense liability insurance for gun owners. Its founding stemmed from an incident in the Philadelphia International Airport, when Karise accidentally left a Glock in her purse, which was discovered by security.

The incident made her realize that more training for gun owners was a pressing need, and Karise and her husband founded That Gun Talk.

“People choose to enact violence using guns. Guns are not inherently violent,” Karise Crew said. “Via my work as a firearm instructor, I have enacted with hundreds of people. I’ve witnessed trainees gain a sense of control and security, and transform from very vulnerable to empowered.”

The rally was held by Second Amendment Caucus, chaired by Sen. Cris Dush, R-Jefferson County, and Rep. Abby Major, R-Armstrong County, which advocates for the rights afforded to citizens under Article 1, Section 21 of the Pennsylvania Constitution, which says the right to bear arms “shall not be questioned.”

“During the past several months, Governor Shapiro, the mayor of Philadelphia and many other gun-grabbing Democrats have been blaming violent inner city crime rates on the people’s legislature’s failure to act on so-called ‘common-sense’ gun laws,” Dush said at the rally. “I maintain that infringing on any constitutional right is not common-sense.”

His remarks were met with cheers from the crowd of Second Amendment activists and gun owners gathered. One activist, Constance Bires, was wearing a shirt that read “All gun control is racist.” When she turned, an addition was visible — “And sexist.”

“I just think there’s a lot of history surrounding that, and the reality is, Black people have been dealt a lot of bad press, bad action and bad laws,” Bires said. “I just think this is a really unfortunate thing, that people feel so much need to control other people and they have no business doing it.”

Many rally-goers were concerned about two bills that passed the state House last month that are now before the Senate.

One of them would allow judges to order the temporary confiscation of a person’s firearms if they are found to be a danger to themselves or others. Often called a “red flag” law.

“Sen. Dush is very concerned about not just the Second Amendment at the federal level, but about Fifth and Sixth and Fourteenth amendments with due process,” said David Burnett, executive director and counsel for the Senate State Government Committee. “Red flag laws have been shown by research to not work very well. They are ripe for abuse by people, and can be triggered in a malicious way.”

The other bill that passed through the House would require background checks for all gun sales — including the sale of long guns between parties who are not licensed dealers, where background checks are currently not mandated. “They have to actually fix the problem, they have to not cause more harm than damage, and you have to figure out how you’re going to get the criminals to comply,” Burnett said. “That’s a law that’s usually fatal for most gun control laws.”

One Republican gun owner’s views on gun control legislation differs from those who spoke at the rally.

“There is no singular silver bullet to address gun violence,” said Brandon Flood, deputy director of government affairs of CeaseFirePA, an organization that lobbies for gun safety policies, in a Friday interview. “While there’s benefits to promote fire safety education, it doesn’t get to the root of the issue, and it’s going to take a cocktail of solutions.” Flood used to be a member of the National African American Gun Association, which Jerel and Karise Crew are part of. He split with the organization because he wanted them to engage on the policy side in addition to its education and training.

“I welcome an opportunity to have a broader, healthy, non-judgmental conversation with folks on the other side of the issue. There is some common ground and I extend that invite to anyone,” Flood said. “I do take umbrage when they say education alone and singularly will address gun violence.”

Part of Flood’s “cocktail of solutions” includes legislation like “red flag” laws, which Flood said are supported by the District Attorney’s Association of Pennsylvania. On the Second Amendment Caucus’s side, part of the solution is prosecuting violent crimes.

The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office told the Philadelphia Inquirer in January that they “do not believe that arresting people and convicting them for illegal gun possession is a viable strategy to reduce shootings.” That, Burnett said, is a problem.

“It’s hard for citizens of Philadelphia and Pennsylvania overall to be told that prosecuting the criminals won’t work but passing laws that will only affect law-abiding gun owners would,” Burnett said. “This is about practical, realistic concerns.”

Dush also was not impressed.

“Who in God’s name is protecting the people of Philadelphia, because it’s sure not their local government,” Dush said at the rally.

As the legislative session continues, more gun-related bills will be considered including House Bill 912 which would prevent firearms from being brought into or kept in any court waiting area. Firearms are currently allowed into courts and public buildings, including the Capitol, but must be kept in storage lockers upon entrance.

“I have no doubts that you and this very event were at the front of their minds when they wrote that legislation,” Major said at the rally.