The Reader Beat aims to cover city and county council meetings as well as other important government and community-related meetings. The following is a summary of each meeting for the month of April.
City Council Meeting on Wednesday, Apr. 2:
An ordinance amending Part 7, General Offences, to establish Article 723, entitled “Unlawful Manufacture of Firearms” to add prohibitions on the use of 3D printers, to impose prohibitions relating to the transfer, use, or conversion of unfinished firearms, the manufacture of firearms, and to prescribe additional penalties for violations of the Article was motioned to be tabled but failed in a tie vote. Councilmembers Jasmine Flores, Chuck Nelson, and Tyler Titus voted no to tabling the ordinance. Following that, the council voted on the ordinance but also failed due to a tie vote, with councilmembers Mel Witherspoon, Ed Brzezinski, and Maurice Troop voting no. Brzezinski suggested holding off on the ordinance until after the Supreme Court makes a ruling on a similar ordinance passed in Philadelphia. Public comments also raised concerns over this ordinance, claiming that it is considered a gun ban which is prohibited by state law. Constituent Keith Hammer said, “We need to focus more on crimes that are actually hurting people. There’s only been two cases in the City of Erie that I can find where they’ve had so-called ghost guns.”…