STACK BILL GIVES ACTIVE TROOPS EXTENSION TO CARRY FIREARM

HARRISBURG, JUNE 4, 2007: The Senate today unanimously passed a bill to provide members of the National Guard and Armed Forces a 90-day extension of their license to carry a firearm, according to the bill’s sponsor, state Sen. Mike Stack.

 “With our troops serving extended tours of duty in the Middle East, they need the assurance that they won’t be penalized when they return home,” said Stack (D-Philadelphia). “This bill would protect the rights of people who protect all of us, and I’m pleased that the Senate recognized this.”

Under Senate Bill 221, the extension will be granted to soldiers if their permit expires while they are deployed overseas. The extension begins at the end of their deployment.

Service members would be required to present a copy of their military orders and their expired license as proof of their ability to carry a firearm during the extension period.

A constituent who serves in the National Guard brought this issue to Stack’s attention.
“He was concerned that his license to carry a concealed firearm could expire while he was deployed overseas,” Stack said. “He wanted to ensure that he and other members of the military would not be penalized for their service to our country.

“This legislation is a small, but important step to help our service men and women, and to ensure that they are not penalized for serving out country,” he said.

Senate Bill 221 now moves to the House of Representatives for its consideration.