When Beth Thomas-Comrey went to the Plainfield Farmers' Fair last month, she was expecting to see the usual sights.

What she wasn’t expecting to see were shooting targets being given out alongside children’s coloring books and Pennsylvania fact pamphlets at state

stand at the fair.

Pennsylvania state Rep. Marcia Hahn

Thomas-Comrey, who isn’t against gun rights, said she didn’t think it was the appropriate place for the targets to be handed out. She said the targets were about 20-by-24 inches in size.

"As a parent, I was upset," the Easton resident said, in part echoing a concern voiced by Northampton County's Democratic Committee chairman, who believes the icon of a target can be construed by some as offensive.

Thomas-Comrey also is concerned that taxpayer money is being spent on printing up these targets.

A spokesperson for Hahn, R-Northampton, whose district includes a portion of the Slate Belt, didn't know off hand how much money is spent on pamphlets and other items such as the targets each year.



When contacted about the targets, Hahn did acknowledge the money to pay for them comes out of her office's budget each year.

She said the targets weren't just blank targets for shooting; they included gun-safety guidelines on the reverse side, she said.

“When we go out somewhere where there is going to be a large number of constituents, we take a variety of pamphlets,” Hahn said.

Because the area has a lot of sportsmen and farmers who support gun rights, Hahn said she decided bringing the targets would be appropriate. She said she wouldn’t personally hand a target to a child; she'd instead give them coloring books.

Easton Mayor Sal Panto Jr., a member of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, said the targets aren't a problem to him because they include the safety guidelines.

“I’m a proponent of gun safety,” said Panto, a Democrat.

He said he wants to see Hahn and the other state representatives take more steps toward crafting laws to better track lost or stolen guns and require more thorough background checks for all gun buyers.

He said he would welcome the targets, with the gun-safety guidelines on the back, at the Easton's Farmers' Market, if they showed up.

Walt Garvin, the chairman of the Northampton Democratic Committee, said he sees how the icon of a target could be construed as offensive to some. He said there are other groups who use the targets against political opponents.

“You can make your point about gun safety without using icons like a target,” he said.

Garvin said the debate in the U.S. has nothing to do with hunters or responsible gun owners and pandering to gun owners is not helpful.