***PRESS RELEASE***
May 15, 2019
Dear Voters of Cameron County,
I am pleased to announce that the Firearms Owners Against Crime (F.O.A.C.), a non-partisan Second Amendment Rights Group based in Pennsylvania, has announced that I am only candidate running for the position of the Cameron County District Attorney that has received a rating as a "Pro Second Amendment Candidate" in its county-by-county Voter Guide found here: https://foac-pac.org/Voter-Guide (access the Voter Guide by clicking on Cameron County in the map provided).
As an avid hunter and firearms enthusiast my entire life, I have always maintained a strong pro-Second Amendment position, but my position has also always been tempered with the preeminent concern of public safety, as well as fundamental fairness for those accused of an unlawful possession of firearms offense.
To be clear, those who have knowingly violated any law dealing with the unlawful possession or use must be held accountable for their actions - out of a concern for both the safety of the individual and, most importantly, the safety of the general public.
On the other hand, the Commonwealth's law pertaining to unlawful possession (18 Pa.C.S.A. Section 6105) is complex enough that it often confuses even some of the most seasoned attorneys, let alone the citizens of the Commonwealth.
To illustrate, virtually all citizens know that a felony conviction means an individual cannot possess a firearm. What many citizens unfortunately do not know is that they may be unable to possess firearms because they sought medical treatment previously and subject to an involuntary commitment. Accordingly, a medical doctor - not a judge in the course of a legal proceeding - indefinitely deprived them of their fundamental right to bear arms, as provided by the Second Amendment and associated provision under the Pennsylvania Constitution.
In the course of my decades of practicing law, I have encountered many individuals who were prohibited from possessing firearms but who were also completely unaware of this fact. The issue is therefore keeping the public educated so that these kinds of individuals are not dragged into the criminal justice system. If elected, I promise to host public meetings to explain the laws pertaining to who may and who may not possess firearms so that those who should be held accountable in the criminal justice system will be, while also taking measures to ensure that otherwise law-abiding citizens do not face criminal charges in the first place.
Thank you for your continued support, and hope to see you at the polls on May 21st!
-PJM
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