HB 1590 | Presumptive mandatory minimums for gun offenses

Session: 2021-2022

ACLU-PA Position: Opposes

HB 1590 (PN 1747) would impose “presumptive guidelines” within the PA Sentencing Guidelines when a gun is possessed during a crime of violence or drug offense or when a person is prohibited from possessing a gun. Gun-related offenses are already widely covered in the Crimes Code and deadly weapon enhancements are numerous in the Sentencing Guidelines. What Pennsylvania does not need is another mandatory scheme for penalizing offenses that are exhaustively addressed under the current guidelines and statute, further contributing to mass incarceration while exacerbating the racial and economic disparities within our criminal legal system.

Check the bill's status here.