PHILADELPHIA — A Philadelphia Common Pleas Court judge on Monday blocked the city from enforcing an executive order Mayor Jim Kenney signed last week banning guns at recreation centers and playgrounds following the fatal shooting of a Parks and Recreation employee last month.
The Gun Owners of America, on behalf of several state residents, filed a lawsuit last Tuesday, the same day Kenney signed his order. After hearing arguments Friday, Judge Joshua H. Roberts issued his ruling siding with the plaintiffs and ordering Philadelphia to be “permanently enjoined” from enforcing Kenney’s ban.
The lawsuit cited Pennsylvania state law that prohibits any city or county from passing gun control measures. The preemption law, which the city has repeatedly sought to overturn, bans local government from passing gun control measures that are stricter than state gun laws.
