The spokesman for the Gun Owners of America discusses what Gov. Joshua Shapiro is up to in Pennsylvania – and how it could cost taxpayers millions.
Some government types will go out of their way to spend millions of dollars on useless initiatives for their city. And Joshua Shapiro, who serves as Governor of Pennsylvania, is the latest example of that.
With his latest proposal for the 2026-2027 state budget, Shapiro recently proposed funding one million dollars into a new office focused on Gun Violence Prevention within the Pennsylvania Commission for Crime and Delinquency. This seems like a waste, according to the Gun Owners of America, as they see the office as “nothing more than a propaganda machine to justify more calls for gun control through legislative advocacy.”
But hang on, it gets worse. Shapiro also wants to double the funding for the Pennsylvania Instant Check System – or PICS, for short – to $8.9 million. But the GOA note this is also a problem, essentially “expanded bureaucracy that would quickly outpace the funding.”
With this PICS budget increase, higher costs for gun owners could be the result, with $2 on every PICS check and $3 tax on the purchase of new firearms.
The Gun Owners of America also brought up another important point. “Instead of increasing funding to the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) for PICS, the Pennsylvania General Assembly should eliminate funding for the PICS ‘Record of Sale’ system entirely. This system creates an illegal handgun registry through use of the ‘Firearm Application/Record of Sale’ form (SP4-113).”
Why do some states continue to find ways to “stick it” to gun owners – and, for that matter, utilize hard-working taxpayers’ money to do so?
Joining us now to discuss this further is Stephen Willeford, the 2017 “hero with a gun” who serves as spokesman for the GOA. We welcome him to the show!
Q&A:
- What are your thoughts on what Shapiro is proposing for the 2026-2027 state budget? How disastrous would these changes be to private gun owners?
- Does an office on gun violence prevention make sense, especially considering that the police are supposed to be investigating incidents surrounding gun violence?
- What about the additional funding Shapiro is requesting for the PICS system? Does this seem pointless to you as well?
- It seems certain states continue to try to create some form of restriction that hurts private gun owners. Why do they keep proposing these? Do they really believe setting these in place will slow the gun violence?
- You’ve been a long-time advocate of Open-Carry and Constitutional-Carry when it comes to safety. Why do you think these are more effective solutions than what most government types propose?
- You recently wrote a book called A Town Called Sutherland Springs: Faith and Heroism Through Tragedy, revolving around your 2017 “hero with a gun” situation. Tell us more about how this came together, and why it’s such an important read right now.
- Where can people find your book?
- Where can we learn more about you, as well as Gun Owners of America?
- You can learn more at http://www.thebarefootdefender.com. You can also read more about the Gun Owners of America at https://www.gunowners.org/.
About Stephen Willeford…
Stephen represents Gun Owners of America and is known around the country as the “good guy with the gun” for helping stop the largest Texas mass shooting in the history of the state in 2017. He is available to speak about all gun rights issues, as well as the importance of Gun Owners of America. He is the author of the book A Town Called Sutherland Springs: Faith and Heroism Through Tragedy. You can read more about him at http://www.thebarefootdefender.com.
CONTACT: Todd Baumann at 512-966-0983 or by email Jerry McGlothlin at bookings@specialguests.com.
