Pennsylvania state Rep. Marty Flynn (D) opened fire on an armed group trying to rob him and a colleague last night. Neither Harris nor the lawmaker he was walking with at the time of the confrontation, Rep. Ryan Bizzaro, were harmed during the altercation. Harris is legally licensed to carry a firearm in Pennsylvania, according to WHTM.
A Pennsylvania legislator exchanged gunfire with a Harrisburg teenager who tried to rob him and a fellow House Democrat.
State Reps. Marty Flynn (D., Scranton) and Ryan Bizzarro (D., Erie) escaped injury in the incident near the 200 block of Herr Street around 11 p.m. Tuesday, according to a caucus spokesman.
Flynn and Bizzarro were walking from the Capitol to their Second Street residence after a late House session and dinner when the would-be robber pointed a gun at Flynn and then at Bizzarro and demanded their wallets.
Neither lawmaker handed over anything.
The lawmakers issued a joint statement about the incident. They say they are grateful to the police for their response.
"We were extremely impressed by the professional manner in which the Harrisburg police officers responded to our call," Bizzarro said. "We are very grateful."
Flynn has a background in law enforcement. He says he refuses to be a victim.
Flynn is a former Lackawanna County Prison guard and supervisor. Bizzarro is a former victim-witness coordinator for the Erie County courts. Both men were elected to the House of Representatives in 2012.
"We are used to fighting for the people in our districts every day," Flynn said. "We certainly are going to stand up for ourselves and not become victims."
Bizzarro has received an AQ rating from the National Rifle Association, which indicates he may not have responded to the NRA's questionnaire, and a B rating from the Pennsylvania gun rights group Firearm Owners Against Crime.
Flynn has yet to receive a rating from the NRA and garners a C rating from FOAC. However, Guns Save Lives points out that Flynn appears to have been hosting a seminar on concealed carry shortly before the attack occurred.
We can’t find much on Flynn’s stance on guns except that he seems to have hosted a free seminar on concealed carry just hours before the alleged incident.