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Suit against Pennsylvania gun control ordinances to proceed

  • The Associated Press
Customers line up at the counter at Bob's Little Sport Shop in Glassboro, staffed by owner Bob Viden's sons, Bob (left) and Wayne.

 Emma Lee / WHYY

Customers line up at the counter at Bob's Little Sport Shop in Glassboro, staffed by owner Bob Viden's sons, Bob (left) and Wayne.

(Harrisburg) — A lawsuit challenging the legality of gun control ordinances in the Pennsylvania capital has gained new momentum in court.

The Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court ruled 7-0 Thursday that a gun owners’ group and several individuals fighting Harrisburg regulation have a standing to challenge most of the ordinances.

Pennlive.com reports the ruling is a reversal of a 2018 decision by Dauphin County Judge Andrew Dowling as well as the court’s previous decisions shielding some local gun ordinances from similar lawsuits.

The argument has been that plaintiffs had not been prosecuted under their terms and therefore show no harm.

The new ruling permits the lawsuit to challenge ordinances that include barring the possession or firing of guns in city parks or within city limits for purposes other than public defense.

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