Proposed Pa. Law Would Impose Mandatory Sentencing for People Who Shoot at Cops

Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell and House speaker Dennis O'Brien have expressed bi-partisan support for a law that would impose a minimum 20-year sentence on anyone convicted of shooting at a cop, regardless of whether the officer is struck by the bullets. Rendell is a Democrat. O'Brien is a Republican.

The mandatory sentencing proposal is part of a larger slate of legislation that includes three proposed gun control laws. Other bills currently being considered in the Pennsylvania legislature would limit handgun sales to one per month, permit cities to pass their own gun control laws, and require that any gun theft be reported to police.

Rendell supports all of the gun control bills. O'Brien has not publicly voiced a position on any of the bills except for the officer protection bill.

Rendell told the Philadelphia Inquirer: "We can't be afraid of the NRA." He stressed that the majority of Pennsylvania citizens support the gun control laws and the officer protection law.