Pennsylvania Senator To Introduce Ineffective Waiting Period Legislation 

A Pennsylvania state senator who plans to reintroduce three-day waiting period legislation soon is playing fast and loose with the facts while touting her bill.

According to a report at WTAJ.com, Democrat state Sen. Amanda Cappelletti plans to reintroduce Senate Bill 637 from the past legislative session. The measure would make all gun purchasers wait 72 hours to receive their firearm after passing their background check.

“One important element of a comprehensive approach to firearm violence is a waiting period for firearm transfers,” Cappelletti wrote in a memo to state lawmakers. “Under Pennsylvania law, there is no waiting period to buy a firearm and no licensure or permitting requirement. I will soon introduce legislation establishing a 72-hour waiting period for all firearm transfers in the Commonwealth.”

Also, in the memo, Cappelletti made some pretty bold claims about the effectiveness of waiting periods in reducing murders and suicides.

“Research has  shown  that waiting period  laws  reduce both suicides and violent crime,” she wrote. “Many studies suggest that most suicide survivors, for example, contemplated their actions for only a brief period of time—often less than 24 hours—before making a suicide attempt. More than 60 percent of  firearm  deaths are suicides; reducing a suicidal person’s access to highly lethal means is an important part of a comprehensive approach to suicide prevention. Similarly, studies suggest that some of the factors that incite violence against others, such as anger and rage, can be short-lived.”

Interestingly, Cappelletti did not cite any specific studies to support her claims. This may be because what she asserts is simply not true, according to a fact sheet from the National Rifle Association’s Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA).

“Waiting periods are arbitrary impositions with no effect on crime or suicide, introduce no additional investigative avenues and only burden law-abiding gun owners without changing how or when criminals obtain firearms,” the fact sheet states. “There is no evidence that waiting periods reduce suicides, homicides or mass shootings. No studies that identify causal effects have been identified by any of the independent literature reviews conducted since 2004.”

The fact sheet points out that waiting periods do not alter the background check process, as no additional investigative measures are taken regardless of the length of the waiting period imposed. Furthermore, according to NRA-ILA, research indicating that waiting periods have some positive effects is flawed.

“Recent research that purports to find that waiting periods reduce firearms-related deaths is fundamentally flawed, as it also finds that background checks increase gun homicides and that poverty is associated with a decrease in homicides,” the fact sheet states.  

Another important fact that gun control advocates like Cappelletti tend to overlook is that most gun purchases aren’t for an individual’s first firearm.

“Most gun owners own more than one firearm, and a waiting period could not possibly have an effect on those purchasing an additional firearm,” the fact sheet states. “First-time buyers seeking a firearm for self-defense would be affected by a waiting period that limits their ability to safeguard themselves and their loved ones.”