It might be unconstitutional and unenforceable, but Pittsburgh City Council members said they intend to fight for passage of a law that would punish gun owners who fail to report lost or stolen guns within 24 hours.
"This is not going to be the end of the world (for gun owners)," Councilman Doug Shields said Tuesday during a meeting in council chambers, Downtown. "This is common-sense regulation of the world's most dangerous consumer product."
A public hearing on the legislation will be held in the chambers at 10 a.m. Thursday. Council could vote on the ordinance later this month.
The legislation targets handgun "straw purchasers," people with clean criminal records who buy guns and sell or give them to criminals. The ordinance would require people to report missing guns within a day of realizing the firearm is gone or face fines of up to $500 for the first offense and $1,000 or 90 days in jail for subsequent offenses.
Kim Stolfer, chairman of the political action committee Firearms Owners Against Crime, opposes the restrictions because he said there is no proof they would deter crime and they could "criminalize" law-abiding gun owners rather than thieves who steal guns.
"What we're advocating today fails," Stolfer said. "On top of that, this council does not have the authority to enact this law."
A similar law in Philadelphia drew legal challenges, resulting in a Sept. 26 Commonwealth Court ruling that said laws governing the sale or use of guns falls under the Legislature's jurisdiction. Two Philadelphia council members have appealed the decision to the state Supreme Court.
Assistant City Solicitor Michael Kennedy said Pittsburgh's ordinance would not be enforceable unless Philadelphia's ordinance is upheld.
Since the beginning of 2007, Pittsburgh police have removed 1,976 illegal guns from city streets, said Detective Jill Smallwood-Rustin. Only 231 had been reported stolen.
Seven states -- Connecticut, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Rhode Island -- and Washington have laws requiring gun owners to report lost or stolen firearms, according to CeaseFirePA, a Philadelphia-based gun control advocacy group.
In Pennsylvania, Allentown, Philadelphia and Pottsville passed laws, and five cities besides Pittsburgh are considering legislation, said CeaseFirePA's Joe Grace.
Councilman Bill Peduto said current laws equate to "a system of immunity" for people who own guns illegally.
But Stolfer argued it is more important to get criminals off the streets than guns. He blamed "loose sentencing" for allowing repeat offenders to resume lives of crime.
"They may have taken 1,000 guns off the street (per year)," he said. "But they have not taken 1,000 criminals off the street."
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