According to an AP report, State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, organizer of the Right to Keep and Bear Arms Rally, said the attendance may have been the lowest in the 16 years for the event. However, dozens of Republican representatives and senators were there ahead of what was a legislative business day.

Metcalfe explained the rally was to press for legislative priorities such as the “constitutional carry” bill and a proposal to limit local gun ordinances that are more restrictive than state or federal law.

As reported by the intell.com, State Rep. Aaron Bernstine, R-Lawrence County, introduced House Bill 659 on May 17, and it was passed out of the House Judiciary Committee on May 25 in a 14-11 mostly partisan vote.

At the gun rights rally, Bernstine said his bill that would allow Pennsylvanians to carry a concealed handgun without a permit could be voted on by the House as soon as Tuesday.

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“House Bill 659 defends the rights of the citizens in our commonwealth,” Bernstine said. “Those Pennsylvanians who follow the law each day should not be punished or hindered if they choose to carry a firearm.”

“Second Amendment isn’t dead”

Mick McGuire, an Army veteran, posed for photos at the rally while holding a rifle, with a handgun strapped to his side. He said his participation had the intention to “show all the politicians and people here at the Statehouse that the Second Amendment isn’t dead.”

During the gun rally, a group of seven uniformed, heavily armed men walked up, calling themselves members of the Pittsburgh-based Iron City Citizen Response Unit militia. Leaders identified themselves only as “Hammer” and “Gucci,” and said their focus was support for the Second Amendment.

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