by KYW's Mike Dunn
Philadelphia's battle with Harrisburg over gun laws ratcheted up on Thursday: City Council unanimously passed five gun-control laws without state approval (see previous story).
Calling the actions "historic," Mayor Nutter signed the measures and ordered immediate enforcement.
Flanked by City Council members and police officers, Nutter signed the five Philadelphia-only gun restrictions, including a bill that requires reporting of lost and stolen guns, and one that imposes a one-handgun-a-month limit on new purchases:
"Enough is enough. We've had enough, we've stood for enough. And today we're taking direct action to make this city safe."
Nutter then directed police commissioner Charles Ramsey to begin enforcing the measures.
Because the laws do not have approval of state lawmakers, the mayor indicated that he's prepared for likely legal challenges (see related story by KYW's Tony Romeo) -- and described the measures as "defensible" in court.
The sponsor of the measures was councilman Darrell Clarke (standing behind Nutter in top photo):
"We think those two are primarily the pieces of legislation that will give us the best opportunity to stop this proliferation of straw (gun) purchases in the City of Philadelphia."
Many believe that only the state has the authority to pass such laws, and Clarke is separately suing the state legislature for failing to act (see related story).
The other measures approved on Thursday include a ban on certain semiautomatic weapons, and a bill that lets police confiscate guns from people whom the officers consider to be a risk to themselves or others.
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