On May 4, a man named Kobe Artis was filmed walking through Kensington — one of Philadelphia's most troubled neighborhoods — carrying an AR-style rifle in broad daylight. The video went viral. Residents were terrified. Children were present.
Under Pennsylvania law, that walk was legal.
Artis was only charged after prosecutors saw him on video handing the AR-style rifle and a handgun to a person legally prohibited from possessing firearms. Without that transfer, he could have continued walking through the neighborhood with a military-style weapon and faced no consequences.
Pennsylvania restricts open carry of handguns in Philadelphia — you need a license. But there is no equivalent restriction on openly carrying assault-style rifles anywhere in the state. A person can walk through a school zone, a playground, or a neighborhood already devastated by gun violence carrying an AR-style rifle, and the law has nothing to say about it.
This is not a theoretical concern. It happened. It was filmed. The entire country watched it.
DA Larry Krasner called Artis's actions "absolutely intimidating, frightening, disturbing and troubling." Councilmember Quetcy Lozada, whose district includes Kensington, said her community deserves to feel safe. They are right.
Pennsylvania should join the states that have placed common-sense restrictions on the open carry of assault-style weapons in public spaces. Banning open carry of AR-style and other assault-style rifles is not a ban on gun ownership — it is a basic public safety measure that the people of Kensington, and every Pennsylvania community, deserve.
Sign this petition to demand that Pennsylvania's legislature pass a ban on the open carry of assault-style rifles in public.