06/09/2026
Yesterday in committee, I voted NO on HB 2244, a bill that would require firearm owners to lock up their guns and would expose otherwise law-abiding Pennsylvanians to criminal penalties and civil liability.
The right to keep and bear arms is not a privilege granted by government. It is a constitutional right that government is obligated to respect.
The Second Amendment says it shall not be infringed. The Pennsylvania Constitution is even stronger. Article I, Section 21 declares that the right of the citizens to bear arms in defense of themselves and the State shall not be questioned.
Yet that is exactly what this bill does.
House Bill 22 takes law-abiding citizens and places them under a cloud of criminal liability for exercising a fundamental constitutional right.
Here are a few personal examples that I believe many law-abiding gun owners can relate to.
In Harrisburg, when I lay my head down at night in my hotel room…. I take great comfort in knowing that my LadySmith .38 Special is nearby should I need to defend myself.
But under this bill, if I leave that firearm on my nightstand and step into the shower, am I now a criminal?
At home, if I have a shotgun standing in the corner of my bedroom for home protection and I get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom or walk to the kitchen for a glass of water, am I now a criminal?
On our farm, if my husband is repairing fence lines and takes his rifle, keeping it nearby in case of a groundhog, a coyote, or another nuisance animal, but he leaves it with our side-by-side while he stretches wire, drives posts, or walks a section of fence, am I supposed to believe he is now a criminal too?
If I leave a firearm in my locked vehicle while entering a courthouse where fi****ms are prohibited, am I now a criminal?
That is not common sense. That is government overreach. And for what purpose?
Even the most conservative estimates show that Americans use fi****ms defensively more than 60,000 times every year. Other published studies place that number far higher—in the millions. Regardless of which estimate one prefers, tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of Americans use fi****ms annually to protect themselves, their families, and their property.
Criminals will not obey this law. Violent offenders will not obey this law. But law-abiding citizens will be forced to navigate yet another legal trap created by government.
Our constitutions were written to restrain government, not to burden citizens.
This bill is unconstitutional. It is overly broad. It criminalizes ordinary behavior by responsible citizens while doing little to stop those who actually intend to do harm.