VENANGO CO., Pa. (EYT) — A new law created to lessen domestic violence gun crimes will add to the local sheriff’s departments’ responsibilities.
With Pennsylvania’s Act 79, a new law requiring anyone under a Protection From Abuse (PFA) order to relinquish their firearms, taking effect in April, the sheriff’s departments in our region are looking at how the new law will be enforced. One of the concerns is storage space, according to Venango County Sheriff Eric Foy.
Foy expressed worries about the number of guns his department will be responsible to confiscate.
“There could be people who have five rifles or somebody that has 100,” Foy told exploreVenango.com.
“When that order came down, it’s pretty distinctive about who’s going to take the weapons: a third party is pretty much out the door unless it’s an attorney or an FFL (Federal Firearms License) dealer or a commercial armory. So, the logistics of it are going to be on the sheriff.”
Foy is looking at how to expand the department’s current space to allow for the storage of more guns in PFA cases. He has already spoken to the Venango County commissioners, and the department has an idea of where would be a good, logical place in the courthouse.
Clarion County Sheriff Rex Munsee and Jefferson County Sheriff Carl Gotwald echoed the same concerns.
While Sheriff Munsee is hoping to be able to modify a current storage space to use for a gun room, even that space could possibly be insufficient under some circumstances.
“The right guy in Clarion County could practically fill that room, and I know that,” explained Munsee.