State officials, activists gather to rally support for gun control policy

Nearly two weeks after investigators say Brian Kennedy legally purchased an AR-15 rifle from a Pennsylvania gun dealer, he was charged with using the weapon to gun down his ex-wife at a Wawa in Radnor Township.

A FOX 29 report confirmed that had Stephanie Miller renewed her expired "Protection from Abuse" order against her ex-husband, Kennedy would not have been allowed to buy the weapon.

During a press conference held at Delaware County Courthouse Friday, several state officials and gun reform advocates gathered to rally support of Extreme Risk Protection Order legislation.

'Stephanie Miller's killer was able to walk into a gun shop and buy his AR-15 legally with nothing and no one stopping him," said Jessica Frankl of Delaware County United for Sensible Gun Policy. "This abomination does not have to be our everyday reality in Pennsylvania,"

Extreme Risk Protection Orders would allow law enforcement and family members to petition to have at risk individual's access to firearms temporarily restricted.

State Representative Jennifer O'Mara wishes she had such an order available before her father, a Philadelphia firefighter, took his own life when she was 13.

"I knew he had guns," said O'Mara. "The week before he died he cried on my shoulder. I never saw my Dad cry before. I knew something was wrong, but I couldn't help him,"

Extreme Risk Protection Orders are available in over a dozen states. Supporters say the guns would not be taken permanently, and can be returned if the family member proves the subject's personal crisis is over.

Delaware County District Attorney Katayoun Copeland thinks Extreme Risk Protection Orders would have saved the lives of people like Stephanie Miller.

"It will give law enforcement and our family members the tools necessary to stop tragedies from happening and save lives," said Copeland.