HB 2244 Is One Vote Away From Coming Back

Back in June, the state House Judiciary Committee passed HB 2244, the gun lockup bill, 14 to 12. Every Republican on the committee voted no. Then, on September 8th, the bill was laid on the table in the House.

I’d love to tell you that means it’s dead. It doesn’t. A tabled bill isn’t dead. HB 2244 is sitting on the House’s tabled-bill list right now, and House leaders can make a motion to take it off the table on any day the House is in session. Once it’s off the table, it’s back in play for a floor vote.

And the House isn’t done for the year. The session doesn’t end until November 30th, and until then, HB 2244 is alive.

What HB 2244 actually does

Its supporters call it “secure storage.” Here’s what’s in the version that came out of committee, in the bill’s own words where it matters.

• Every gun owner, every gun. “A possessor of a firearm shall ensure that the firearm is securely stored when not in use.” It isn’t limited to homes with children.
• Their way, or it’s a crime. Unless the gun is on you or close enough to “readily retrieve,” it has to be in a locked gun safe (the bill says a gun cabinet doesn’t count) or out of sight with a locking device engaged, and the key or combination has to be kept separately.
• A new crime. A violation is a summary offense. It becomes a third-degree misdemeanor if you “knew or should have reasonably known” that a minor or an “unauthorized user” was present or likely to be present.
• “Unauthorized user” is broader than it sounds. It covers anyone barred from owning a gun, and it also covers anyone you haven’t “expressly granted permission to use the firearm.” That’s your kids, but it’s also any adult in your home you never had that conversation with.
• Strict liability. If someone gets hold of your “unsecured” gun and it’s used to injure someone or damage property, you’re “strictly liable” for damages in a civil suit, “regardless of whether there has been a criminal prosecution.” The only defenses written into the bill are a break-in or a lawful act of self-defense.
• Warning signs at every gun counter. Every gun retailer would have to post a notice in letters at least three inches tall telling customers they’re “required by law” to lock up their guns. A store that doesn’t post it commits a third-degree misdemeanor.

In committee, they added a sales-tax break on gun safes and gun locks to help it go down easier. A tax break doesn’t change what the bill does. It makes a crime out of how law-abiding Pennsylvanians keep their own guns.

Picture it. Glass shatters downstairs at 2:00 a.m. You’re in the dark, fumbling with a safe and punching in a code with shaking hands while someone is already inside your home. By the time that door swings open, it may be too late. That’s why we call HB 2244 what it is: a deadly gun lockup bill.

Who’s behind it, and why the margin matters

HB 2244 is Rep. Tim Briggs’s bill. He’s a Democrat from Montgomery County, and 42 other House Democrats signed on as cosponsors. Not one Republican.

This is the same state House that passed HB 1593, statewide gun registration, 104 to 99 in September 2025. Red flag, ghost guns and the Glock switch ban each failed there by a single vote, 101 to 102. When the margins are that thin, a bill that’s “parked” can come back fast.

Republicans hold the state Senate 27 to 23, and that’s a firewall worth having. But the best place to stop HB 2244 is in the House, before it ever reaches the floor.

Tell your State Representative: vote NO on HB 2244

The Pennsylvania Firearms Association has a pre-written email ready for your own State Representative. Enter your name and address, and it goes to the Representative who answers to you. It asks your State Representative to vote NO on HB 2244 and keep it off the House floor.

It takes about a minute, and your Representative needs to hear from you before the House comes back on Monday, October 19th.

Or send your State Representative the pre-written email here.

Then, if you can, chip in $25 to fund district-level pressure on HB 2244 through the last day of the session. Every Representative should hear from gun owners in their own district before any motion to take this bill off the table.

For Freedom,
Rob Knisley
Political Director
Pennsylvania Firearms Association

P.S. HB 2244 was laid on the table September 8th, not killed. House leaders can take it off the table on any session day, and the next three are October 19th, 20th and 21st. Tell your State Representative to vote NO and keep it off the House floor.