Williams Reintroduces Bill Creating Task Force to Prosecute Prior-Convicted Felons Illegally in Possession of Guns in Philadelphia

March 3, 2025

HARRISBURG – Rep. Craig Williams (R-Delaware/Chester) reintroduces legislation granting the Pennsylvania Attorney General concurrent jurisdiction to prosecute prior-convicted felons in possession of guns stemming from arrests in the City of Philadelphia. It is both a federal and state crime for a prior-convicted felon to possess a gun.

This legislation is a successor to House Bill 596 (2023-24) and House Bill 2275 (2021-22), the latter of which passed the House with overwhelming bipartisan support in 2022 (151-49, final passage April 27, 2022). The bill establishes a Gun Violence Task Force (GVTF) to coordinate enforcement efforts between the Office of Attorney General, U.S. Attorney’s Office (Eastern District of Pennsylvania), Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, and local and federal law enforcement agencies. The GVTF structure was previously negotiated with the Attorney General’s Office and leadership from both parties in 2022.

“Between 2018 and 2024, more than 12,000 people were shot in Philadelphia, with nearly 2,500 of those shootings proving fatal,” said Williams. “We must bring the full weight of law enforcement to combat this crisis. This legislation creates a multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force with direct prosecutorial authority to remove violent felons from our streets.”

Data from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency highlights Philadelphia’s alarming gun violence problem:
• The average assault by firearm rate is 259 per 100,000 residents—more than four times the state average.
• The average robbery by firearm rate is 187 per 100,000 residents—again, four times higher than the state average.

In a recent 90-day period (November 14, 2024, through February 12, 2025), 933 aggravated assaults and 678 robberies were committed with a firearm according to the Philadelphia Police Department’s Crime Statistics Map.

Under Williams’ bill, law enforcement agencies must report every illegal gun-possession arrest of a prior convicted felon to the GVTF. The task force, including the Attorney General and U.S. Attorney, will then determine whether to assert jurisdiction over the case based on the severity of charges and the defendant’s criminal history.

Additionally, the Attorney General must submit an annual report to the Appropriations and Judiciary Committees of both the House and Senate detailing arrests, prosecutions, convictions, sentences, and expenditures related to GVTF operations.

“This legislation sends a clear message: We will not allow lawlessness to continue in Philadelphia,” said Williams. “The violence of Philadelphia impacts all of the collar counties, and the consequences of non-prosecution are being felt as far away as Somerset County. We must meet violent criminals with the full weight, force and strength of our laws.”

Representative Craig Williams
160th Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Will Patterson
267-688-2590
wpatterson@pahousegop.com
RepCraigWilliams.com / Facebook.com/RepCraigWilliams