Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-Chambersburg, is pictured unveiling Senate Bill 1321, legislation to protect Pennsylvania’s monuments, during a ceremony at Gettysburg.

Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-Chambersburg, wants to put the weight of the state Legislature behind historic monuments throughout the state and particularly at Gettysburg.

Mastriano, a retired U.S. Army colonel, has sponsored Senate Bill 1321 in the Senate and recently hosted a ceremony at Gettysburg to discuss the legislation flanked by re-enactors in historic uniforms. Standing near the Eternal Light Peace Memorial at the Gettysburg Battlefield, Mastriano and Senator Judy Ward, R-Hollidaysburg, to discuss the bill. Mastriano’s district includes the Gettysburg National Military Park, which is home to 1,325 monuments, roughly 40 of which honor Confederate soldiers.

“In America, citizens have the right to peacefully advocate for their beliefs. But, in no society should the routine desecration of historic monuments, memorials, markers and statues become acceptable,” Mastriano said. “With this legislation, Pennsylvanians are standing up to the masked cowards who, often under the cover of darkness, seek to erase our history and impose their beliefs on the majority.”

While Gettysburg is a public focal point for Mastriano’s legislation, the state legislation doesn’t affect Gettysburg because Gettysburg is on federal land and operated by the National Park Service. Senate Bill 1321 aims to protect monuments and memorials on state and public land.

This year, a statue of Matthias Baldwin, inventor, manufacturer, and abolitionist, in Philadelphia was defaced in early June as was a statue of Christopher Columbus in Pittsburgh.

The legislation would withhold state funding from municipalities and local governments that refuse to uphold laws protecting public monuments, memorials and statues from destruction or vandalism and require the state Attorney General to prosecute cases of monument vandalism when a district attorney refuses to prosecute. It strengthens penalties and requires restitution for vandalizing monuments in Pennsylvania and stipulates penalties ranging from a first-degree misdemeanor when property damage is between $200 and $2,000 up to first-degree felony when property damage is $500,000 or more.

“We have a responsibility as public officials to ensure that these monuments are not desecrated and individuals that aim to destroy them are prosecuted,” Ward said.

Mastriano’s bill has been referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee. Sponsors include Sen. Michele Brooks, R-Greenville; David Argall, R-Manahoy City; Sen. John Gordner, R-Bloomsburg; Joe Pittman, R-Indiana; Pat Stefano, R-Connellsville; and Mike Regan, R-Dillsburg.

“History is complicated, but it’s part of our heritage as Americans, and every citizen shares that heritage,” Senator Mastriano said. “We can’t let small groups of political extremists tear apart our history and, as a result, our unity. Today, we stand up and say, ‘No more.'”