HB 983 — An Act amending Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in firearms and other dangerous articles, further providing for persons not to possess, use, manufacture, control, sell or transfer firearms and for sale or transfer of firearms and providing for Gun Violence Task Force in cities of the first class.

PRINTER'S NO.   1073

                       THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



                           HOUSE BILL
                           No. 983
                                                 Session of
                                                   2025

     INTRODUCED BY C. WILLIAMS, MARCELL, CUTLER, SHAFFER AND BONNER,
        MARCH 20, 2025

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY, MARCH 20, 2025


                                       AN ACT
 1   Amending Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses) of the Pennsylvania
 2      Consolidated Statutes, in firearms and other dangerous
 3      articles, further providing for persons not to possess, use,
 4      manufacture, control, sell or transfer firearms and for sale
 5      or transfer of firearms and providing for Gun Violence Task
 6      Force in cities of the first class.
 7      The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
 8   hereby enacts as follows:
 9      Section 1.      Sections 6105(d.1)(3) and 6111(d.1)(3) of Title
10   18 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes are amended to
11   read:
12   § 6105.    Persons not to possess, use, manufacture, control, sell
13                   or transfer firearms.
14      * * *
15      (d.1)    Concurrent jurisdiction to prosecute.--The following
16   apply in a city of the first class where the Attorney General
17   has operated a joint local-State firearm task force:
18             * * *
19             (3)   This subsection shall not apply to any case
20      instituted [two years after the effective date of this
 1      subsection.]:
 2                   (i)    after September 2, 2021, and before the
 3             effective date of this subparagraph; or
 4                   (ii)    after December 31, 2026.
 5      * * *
 6   § 6111.    Sale or transfer of firearms.
 7      * * *
 8      (d.1)    Concurrent jurisdiction to prosecute.--The following
 9   apply in a city of the first class where the Attorney General
10   has operated a joint local-State firearm task force:
11             * * *
12             (3)   This subsection shall not apply to any case
13      instituted [two years after the effective date of this
14      subsection.]:
15                   (i)    after September 2, 2021, and before the
16             effective date of this subparagraph; or
17                   (ii)    after December 31, 2026.
18      * * *
19      Section 2.         Title 18 is amended by adding a section to read:
20   § 6129.    Gun Violence Task Force in cities of the first class.
21      (a)    Establishment.--
22             (1)   A joint local-State firearm task force is
23      established in each city of the first class, which shall be
24      known as the Gun Violence Task Force.
25             (2)   The Gun Violence Task Force shall be under the
26      authority of the Attorney General.
27      (b)    Powers and duties.--
28             (1)   The Gun Violence Task Force shall investigate and
29      prosecute violations of sections 6105 (relating to persons
30      not to possess, use, manufacture, control, sell or transfer

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 1    firearms) and 6111 (relating to sale or transfer of
 2    firearms), and similar offenses under Federal law, in a city
 3    of the first class.
 4          (2)   The Gun Violence Task Force shall initiate
 5    prosecutions only in a Federal or State court located in a
 6    city of the first class.
 7          (3)   The Gun Violence Task Force may utilize
 8    investigatory teams under subsection (e).
 9    (c)   Composition.--
10          (1)   The Gun Violence Task Force shall include, at a
11    minimum:
12                (i)    The Attorney General or deputy attorneys
13          general.
14                (ii)    Members of the office of the district attorney
15          in a city of the first class.
16                (iii)    Law enforcement officers of the Attorney
17          General.
18                (iv)    Law enforcement officers of a city of the first
19          class.
20                (v)    Law enforcement officers of the Pennsylvania
21          State Police.
22          (2)   The Gun Violence Task Force may include, as
23    determined by the Attorney General:
24                (i)    Federal law enforcement officers.
25                (ii)    Other Commonwealth law enforcement officers
26          located in a city of the first class.
27                (iii)    Other local law enforcement officers located
28          in a city of the first class.
29                (iv)    Campus police officers located in a city of the
30          first class.

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 1                  (v)   Transit agency police officers located in a city
 2            of the first class.
 3      (d)   Funding.--The Gun Violence Task Force shall be funded
 4   from annual General Fund appropriations to a joint local-State
 5   firearm task force in a city of the first class. Funding shall
 6   be under the control of the Attorney General.
 7      (e)   Investigatory teams.--The Attorney General may empanel
 8   individualized investigatory teams that work in conjunction with
 9   and under the purview of the Gun Violence Task Force.
10      (f)   Notice.--Each law enforcement agency that is a member of
11   the Gun Violence Task Force shall notify the Gun Violence Task
12   Force of any arrest or other criminal action or proceeding
13   involving an alleged violation of section 6105 or 6111 within 48
14   hours of the arrest or of instituting the action or proceeding.
15      (g)   Preemptive jurisdiction over certain offenses.--
16            (1)   The Attorney General may assert preemptive
17      prosecutorial jurisdiction over any criminal actions or
18      proceedings, including proceedings for the forfeiture or
19      condemnation of property under 42 Pa.C.S. Ch. 58 (relating to
20      forfeiture of assets), for which the Attorney General has
21      jurisdiction under section 6105 or 6111.
22            (2)   Any assertion of preemptive prosecutorial
23      jurisdiction under this subsection shall be within the sole
24      discretion of the Attorney General, who shall consider the
25      totality of the circumstances in deciding whether to assert
26      that jurisdiction, including:
27                  (i)   Whether the alleged violation of section 6105 or
28            6111 is the lead charge and the severity of any other
29            offense charged in conjunction with the alleged violation
30            of section 6105 or 6111.

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 1              (ii)    The criminal history record information of the
 2        alleged offender, including whether the offender was
 3        previously convicted of an offense under this chapter.
 4              (iii)    Whether the Gun Violence Task Force was
 5        involved in the investigation of the alleged violation of
 6        section 6105 or 6111.
 7              (iv)    Whether the Gun Violence Task Force has
 8        sufficient resources to prosecute the alleged offender.
 9              (v)    Whether the alleged offender utilized a firearm
10        during the commission of a felony.
11              (vi)    Whether the alleged offender is involved or
12        associated with the sale, manufacture, distribution or
13        delivery of any controlled substance or counterfeit
14        controlled substance in violation of the act of April 14,
15        1972 (P.L.233, No.64), known as The Controlled Substance,
16        Drug, Device and Cosmetic Act.
17              (vii)    The impact of the alleged offense on the
18        victim or the community.
19              (viii)    Whether the alleged offender's commission of
20        the offense violated the terms and conditions of a
21        sentence or bail bond.
22              (ix)    Any other relevant or aggravating circumstances
23        that would tend to support the assertion of preemptive
24        prosecutorial jurisdiction.
25        (3)   The Attorney General may not assert preemptive
26    prosecutorial discretion under this subsection if the
27    offender unlawfully possessed a firearm during the commission
28    of murder of the first degree or second degree or a crime of
29    violence, as that term is defined in 42 Pa.C.S. § 9714(g)
30    (relating to sentences for second and subsequent offenses),

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 1    unless upon written request by the Police Commissioner of a
 2    city of the first class.
 3          (4)   Subject to paragraph (5), in cases in which the
 4    Attorney General asserts preemptive prosecutorial
 5    jurisdiction under this subsection, no other prosecuting
 6    entity for the Commonwealth shall have authority to act,
 7    except as authorized by the Attorney General. No person shall
 8    have standing to challenge the authority of the Attorney
 9    General to prosecute the cases, and, if any challenge is
10    made, the challenge shall be dismissed and no relief shall be
11    available in the courts of this Commonwealth to the entity
12    making the challenge.
13          (5)   The Attorney General may not assert preemptive
14    prosecutorial jurisdiction under this subsection in a case
15    where jurisdiction also exists in a county other than a
16    county of the first class unless the Attorney General
17    requests in writing to the district attorney in the county
18    other than the county of the first class to assert preemptive
19    prosecutorial jurisdiction and the district attorney in the
20    county other than the county of the first class accepts the
21    request in writing.
22          (6)   Any grant of jurisdiction to the Attorney General
23    under section 6105 or 6111 shall be exclusive to the Gun
24    Violence Task Force.
25          (7)   The provisions of this subsection shall expire
26    December 31, 2026.
27    (h)   Annual reports.--
28          (1)   By October 1 of each year, the Attorney General
29    shall make an annual report on the operation of the Gun
30    Violence Task Force to:

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 1              (i)    The Appropriations Committee of the Senate.
 2              (ii)    The Appropriations Committee of the House of
 3        Representatives.
 4              (iii)    The Judiciary Committee of the Senate.
 5              (iv)    The Judiciary Committee of the House of
 6        Representatives.
 7        (2)   Each report under this subsection shall contain the
 8    following information for the previous fiscal year regarding
 9    the Gun Violence Task Force:
10              (i)    The number of members, per agency, serving on
11        the Gun Violence Task Force.
12              (ii)    The total number of arrests in a city of the
13        first class for alleged violations of section 6105 or
14        6111, including separately the total number of arrests by
15        the Gun Violence Task Force.
16              (iii)    The total number of bills of information filed
17        for alleged violations of section 6105 or 6111, including
18        separately the total number of bills filed by the Gun
19        Violence Task Force.
20              (iv)    The total number of convictions resulting from
21        prosecutions under subparagraph (iii), including
22        separately the total number of convictions resulting from
23        prosecutions by the Gun Violence Task Force.
24              (v)    The sentences imposed for each conviction under
25        subparagraph (iv), including separately the sentences
26        imposed for each conviction resulting from a prosecution
27        by the Gun Violence Task Force.
28              (vi)    The number of firearms seized by the Gun
29        Violence Task Force.
30              (vii)    A summary of expenditures, including any money

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1         appropriated for the Gun Violence Task Force in a
2         previous year that is carried over or unspent.
3     Section 3.    This act shall take effect as follows:
4         (1)   The addition of 18 Pa.C.S. § 6129 shall take effect
5     in 90 days.
6         (2)   The remainder of this act shall take effect
7     immediately.




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