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<p>Charleston, S.C.</p><p>Aurora, Colo.</p><p>San Bernardino, Calif.</p><p>These three mass shootings and other recent massacres spurred a &#8220;Guns in America&#8221; town hall Tuesday at Center Penn College near Harrisburg.</p><p>The forum was live-streamed on the Times Leader website in conjunction with news-gathering partner Fox56.</p><p>A four-person panel took questions from an audience for an hour, focusing on gun laws and safety in today&#8217;s society.</p><p>&#8220;(The second amendment) is the part and parcel of the American people,&#8221; said Dave Keene, a panelist and former president of the National Rifle Association.</p><p>The audience didn&#8217;t hold back. The first question was about gun-ownership laws in Pennsylvania.</p><p>&#8220;A private sale is legal without a background check,&#8221; Keene said about state rules.</p><p>Shira Goodman, executive director of Ceasefire PA, argued that though anyone can buy a gun without a background check, the law doesn&#8217;t mandate training for gun owners.</p><p>In most cases, Keene said, conceal-carry permits are handled by local sheriffs. Attorney Mike Giaramita said that poses a problem because it gives them too much discretion. An applicant might get a permit in one county, but not in another.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s different from county to county,&#8221; Giaramita of Mechanicsburg noted.</p><p>Dereasha Leaks asked about gun trafficking. Her son, 24-year-old Rayon Braxton, was murdered inside his Harrisburg business in November 2015.</p><p>&#8220;Why can&#8217;t they (the private seller) be responsible after they&#8217;re sold?&#8221; she asked.</p><p>Keene said it&#8217;s a felony to buy a gun for someone else, especially someone who is a known criminal. The flaw with the system is that people don&#8217;t realize someone is a criminal if they don&#8217;t do a check, said Ellen Kramer of the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence.</p><p>&#8220;If you&#8217;re trafficking without doing a background check &#8230; odds are prosecutors won&#8217;t catch you &#8230; but they could and they should,&#8221; Keene said.</p><p>In a Facebook post read during the town hall, Gary Wells said he owns guns &#8220;to protect myself and my wife.&#8221;</p><p>Keene noted that&#8217;s why most non-criminals own guns.</p><p>&#8220;The criminals are the target (of laws), not law-abiding citizens,&#8221; he said. &#8220;(The second amendment) recognizes a pre-existing right to defend themselves and families.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Melanie Mizenko</p><p>mmizenko@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Melanie Mizenko at 570-991-6116 or on Twitter @TL_MMizenko</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Guns hot topic of town-hall forum near Harrisburg