New Leadership. New Direction. A New Philadelphia.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                                    

January 24, 2007        
 

NUTTER TO FILE LAWSUIT

AGAINST TWO GUN SHOPS

Philadelphia, PA, January 24, 2006 –Mayoral Candidate Michael Nutter announced today that he will soon file a lawsuit against two gun shops with a past history of selling guns to purchasers for resale on the streets of Philadelphia.  Nutter’s goal is to seek the revocation of the business licenses of these two gun shop owners.

Nutter, who released his anti violence plan ‘Safety Now’ last week, said, “In my plan I reference the use of filing a lawsuit against gun dealers in an effort to stop guns from reaching our streets.  We need to be more aggressive in our actions in fighting people whose actions result in more illegal guns being used in Philadelphia.”

Nutter is seeking a court order permanently enjoining the operations of these gun shops.  The law allows private citizens to initiate proceedings to stop public nuisances.  Research shows that a small number of licensed gun dealers provide a large percentage of the guns used in crimes.  There can be no greater nuisance than businesses that repeatedly allow guns to enter the hands of criminals to wreak havoc on our streets.  A convicted felon used a fake drivers’ license to make 14 gun purchases at Delia’s Gun Shop in northeast Philadelphia over a six-week period:

·                     March 18, 2005: Hi –Point .380-caliber pistol

·                     March 19, 2005: Taurus .45-caliber pistol

·                     March 25, 2005: Llama .45-caliber pistol

·                     April 6, 2005:    Taurus .45-caliber pistol

·                     April 7, 2005:     Hi Point .45-caliber pistol and two Kel-Tec 9mm pistols 

·                     April 8, 2005:     Heritage. 40-caliber pistol, a Star .45-caliber pistol and an EAA 9mm pistol

·                     April 9, 2005:     Smith and Wesson 9 mm pistol

·                     April 12, 2005:   Two Kel-Tec 9mm pistols and a Smith and Wesson 9 mm pistol

“Licensed gun shop owners who do not heed obvious red flags on multiple purchases of guns are just as guilty as the person purchasing guns for illegal resale on our streets.  Gun dealers must be held accountable,” said Nutter.  “These guns were sold to one individual using fake identification. The purchaser has been prosecuted, but this shop and others like it are still in business.” 

“We need to shut down these shady gun shops because they are a public nuisance,” continued Nutter.  “We need ‘Safety Now’ in our city. It’s important to start now, not after the election when it’s possible that we could have another 400 deaths.  We need to reassure the public that we can make it safe to walk the streets and shutting down gun shops whose actions result in more illegal weapons on our streets is a good place to start.”

Nutter hopes that this lawsuit will jump-start a crack down on nuisance gun shops that provide guns to criminals for illegal resale straight into the hands of killers using them on our streets. 

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PO Box 58550 • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19102

Phone: (215) 545-9700 • Facsimile: (215) 545-4088

www.NutterForMayor.com

Paid for by Nutter for Mayor, Kahiga A. Tiagha, Esq., Treasurer

Last Updated: January 25, 2007