'You Should Not Have Any Weapon': Philadelphia City Council Takes Another Step To Ban Guns From Parks, Recreation Centers
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Another step was taken Wednesday to ban guns from Philadelphia's parks and recreation centers. City Council heard from people testifying and many urged city leaders to take action.
City Council said the ordinance would ban any gun, whether it's owned legally or otherwise, from city parks and recreation centers. The only exception are police.
It's an issue many people in Philly are passionate about, including children.
"Because there was a gun, no one had fun. Because there was a gun, a life was done," seventh-grader Monyria Harvey said in a poem she wrote.
The young girl was among a chorus of voices who sounded off to Philadelphia City Council's Committee on Public Safety. They're demanding city leaders to stop gun violence happening in public places.
"No child should go to any park or rec center and have fear," North Philadelphia resident Jeanine Holmes said. "They shouldn't have to worry about whether they would be hurt at these sites."
In 2018, Philadelphia recreation centers saw more than 500 crimes, including 18 gun crimes and two murders.
"Parks and rec centers are extremely vulnerable because they're places of communities, they're places of gatherings," Councilwoman Helen Gym said.
City Council President Darrell Clarke introduced the ordinance that would ban guns from city parks and recreation centers.
It came after two shootings at city playgrounds over the summer, including one by Finnegan Playground in Southwest Philadelphia, where one person was killed and five others were injured in a shooting at a high school graduation party.
"So what we're saying today, you should not have any weapon, be it legal or illegal, obviously in and around the rec center, because that should be the one place where people should be able to go and recreate," Clarke said.
City Council could take a vote on the gun ban next month. If it passes, state lawmakers would have to take a vote as well because of a law that prohibits municipalities from passing their own gun laws.
If it passes, violators of the ordinance could face a $2,000 fine and up to 90 days in jail.