Court Fight Ahead as NRA, Backed by New Pa. Law, Sues City of Philadelphia

By Pat Loeb

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The National Rifle Association is taking advantage of a recently enacted state law to sue Philadelphia and two other Pennsylvania cities over their gun regulations.

But the legality of the law itself is in question.

The NRA gained the right to sue in a bill passed last November and its attorney, Jonathan Goldstein, says it will seek to repeal gun-control laws in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Lancaster.

"The (Pennsylvania) General Assembly has put teeth in the law, and these municipalities can expect to be bitten," he said.

But the lawsuit may not get very far.

Mayor Nutter's spokesman, Mark McDonald, says the cities being sued have already challenged the constitutionality of the law in Commonwealth Court.

"We're hoping the Commonwealth Court will do what we consider the correct thing and declare this law unconstitutional," he tells KYW Newsradio.

McDonald says the Philadelphia laws being challenged -- laws which, among other things, require that owners report the loss or theft of their guns -- are designed to insure the safety of the city's residents.

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