The great defender

By Tom Waring
Times Staff Writer

How’s the public reaction been to Pennsylvania House Speaker Dennis O’Brien’s vote against a measure that would have required individuals to tell police if their guns have been lost or stolen?
Well, unlike some of the intense criticism from the news media, the folks back home don’t seem bothered.
According to O’Brien (R-169th dist.), he recently chatted for an hour to a bunch of people at a local Wawa who told him they appreciate the job he’s doing. His staffers, he said, receive a positive response when they visit constituents at their doorsteps.
"The reason I can make votes like that," he said, "is because I have residual goodwill in the bank."
In a visit to the Times office on Friday, O’Brien continued to defend his April 1 vote.
That day, the House of Representatives rejected an amendment by Allegheny County Democratic Rep. David Levdansky that would have required the reporting of lost or stolen guns. The vote was 128-75. O’Brien was the only Philadelphia lawmaker to vote against the measure and was criticized for siding with the National Rifle Association. The Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association also opposed it.
"I knew I’d be taken to task on this," he said, "but this was not an NRA vote, it was a law enforcement vote."
The speaker opposed the amendment because it could have caused legal issues for innocent people since it did not include language requiring a prosecutor to prove a gun owner’s intent for not reporting a lost or stolen firearm.
The vote was taken, in O’Brien’s opinion, to appease CeaseFire PA, an organization that works to reduce gun violence, and to give lawmakers who favor gun control an issue to use in the election.
In addition, he expected the Senate to reject the measure. Leaders had already declared the amendment dead on arrival.
"I’m not going to send anything over DOA," O’Brien said.
On April 7, O’Brien held a news conference with District Attorney Lynne Abraham to talk about a package of gun legislation to be voted on later that day.
In the end, House Bill 1845 passed unanimously. It would, among other things, extend the statute of limitations to prosecute owners of guns that are used in crimes from two to 13 years; make it a felony for anyone to possess a firearm with an erased serial number; and require the Pennsylvania State Police to maintain a registry of lost or stolen guns.
Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi, a Delaware County Republican, has indicated that he is inclined to support the bill.
O’Brien was elected to the House in 1976 and has been there every year since except two — the 1981-82 term — when he made an unsuccessful bid for Congress.
Over the years, he’s been best known as an advocate for children with disabilities — he received the Small Miracles Award last week from the Center for Autism — and for criminal justice issues.
Before becoming speaker, he chaired the House Judiciary Committee and developed a good working relationship with Sen. Stewart Greenleaf, a Montgomery County Republican who has long chaired the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Despite claims that his term as speaker would fail — he sided with Democrats to oust fellow Northeast Republican Rep. John Perzel from the top job — O’Brien thinks his 16 months in the position have been a success.
As an example, he points to a series of prison reforms that overwhelmingly passed the House the same day as House Bill 1845.
He built support within the Republican and Democratic caucuses in the House and Senate and from outside groups ranging from sheriffs and victims groups to the left-wing Pennsylvania Prison Society.
The prison package includes measures to shift the burden for incarceration and treatment of serious offenders from the county to state system and encourage non-violent offenders to participate in rehabilitative programs to reduce recidivism.
The end results, O’Brien contends, will include cost savings to pay for police officers and parole and probation officers and a transfer of some Philadelphia inmates to state jails to prevent a judge from ordering their release based on overcrowded conditions.
O’Brien said he prefers substance over style, personality and headlines.
"I think I’m in the position I’m in because people trust me to do the right thing," he said.
O’Brien was unopposed in Tuesday’s primary and will be unopposed in the general election. He was conducting a write-in campaign on Tuesday to have his name appear on the Democratic ticket.
O’Brien, who hasn’t had an opponent since 1998, said that even with a tough primary or general election fight, he would have opposed the Levdansky amendment to get a more comprehensive bill.
"I’ll take a hit if I have to to do the right thing," he said. ••
Reporter Tom Waring can be reached at 215-354-3034 or twaring@phillynews.com