by KYW's Tony Romeo

Pennsylvania governor Ed Rendell made another pitch for gun control legislation outside the state capitol on Monday, during the annual ceremony honoring falling police officers.

Rendell says the gun that cut down Sgt. Stephen Liczbinski (see related story) was a Chinese assault weapon, and he says that there used to be a ban on importing assault weapons:

“And yet in 2004, the Congress of the United States -- often some of the very same congressmen who would come and attend ceremonies like this -- let the assault weapons ban lapse.”

The governor acknowledged that the gun that killed Liczbinski was brought into the country “well before that action,” but says it’s symptomatic of the refusal of lawmakers to provide “maximum protection” to law enforcement:

“If we really want to pay honor and tribute to the memory of those 703 police officers who have given their lives, we will suck it in, do the right thing, and pass laws that would give our police officers out on the street, protecting us every day, the maximum amount of protection we can.”
    
Meanwhile, Tony Conti -- brother-in-law of slain Philadelphia officer Chuck Cassidy (see related story) -- says the death of Sgt. Liczbinski means his family is reliving its own loss:

“This one was very close to home now. This one was very close to home.”

The Saturday murder of Sgt. Liczbinski hung heavy over the ceremony, which included a rifle salute, the sounding of taps, and a state police helicopter flyover.