STACK BILL GIVES ACTIVE TROOPS EXTENSION TO CARRY FIREARM

HARRISBURG, MAY 8, 2007: A proposal by state Sen. Mike Stack to provide members of the National Guard and Armed Forces a 90-day extension of their license to carry a firearm is expected to pass the Senate Judiciary Committee this week.

“This is a commonsense, bipartisan measure that will help members of the National Guard and the reserve components of the armed forces,” Stack said. “With our troops serving extended tours of duty in Iraq, they need the assurance that they won’t be penalized when they return home. We need to protect the rights of people who protect all of us.”

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.
The Commonwealth of Kentucky has adopted similar legislation.

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

The Senate unanimously passed a nearly identical measure, Senate Bill 866, last year. The House Judiciary Committee unanimously passed the legislation, but the full House failed to consider it before the close of the 2005-06 Legislative Session.

###