Who supports lost and stolen handgun reporting?

Lost or stolen handgun reporting is supported by 27 Pennsylvania municipalities that have taken action in support of this commonsense reform to help police track down and stop illegal gun trafficking.  From Allentown to Aliquippa, and a host of small towns and medium sized PA cities in between, communities across Pennsylvania are passing local ordinances and resolutions to require firearm owners to report lost or stolen handguns to the police within a reasonable period of time following discovery of the guns’ loss or theft.

The mayors of Reading, Allentown, Bethlehem, Lancaster, York, Pottsville, Erie, and others support reporting of lost and stolen handguns.

Why is requiring the reporting of lost and stolen guns necessary?

Most gun violence is committed by people who cannot lawfully purchase or possess guns. These criminals rely on straw purchasers to buy the guns from licensed gun dealers and then sell them on the illegal street market. Law enforcement officials report that when a “crime gun” is successfully traced back to the last person who legally owned it, that person frequently claims the gun was lost or stolen, even if they never reported it at the time. Since there is no requirement for reporting lost or stolen guns, no prosecution is possible, and the straw purchasers feeding the illegal market go unpunished.

Won’t straw purchasers just report their guns were stolen?

A straw purchaser might report a couple of guns as stolen, but if every few weeks someone filed a report that his or her guns were lost or stolen, he or she would fast become the target of a police investigation. No person breaking the law is going to bring that kind of attention and scrutiny to themselves.

Isn’t the lawful gun owner likely to get tripped up by this law and have to pay a fine or go to court?

Conscientious gun owners keep track of their guns and ensure their guns are stored in a safe place. Such owners call the police when their guns are lost or stolen because their guns are valuable property. They will want to file an insurance claim, they will want to get the gun back if it’s recovered, and they do not want their gun to end up in the wrong hands. Responsible gun owners will not be affected by this law.

What reason is there to believe Pennsylvanians support stronger handgun safety laws?

In November 2007, CeaseFirePA conducted a poll of key legislative districts in Pennsylvania. Lost and stolen handgun reporting requirements received support from 96% of respondents and 70% of gun owners.

Does handgun violence affect Pennsylvanians outside Philadelphia?

There are reports every day of gun violence in cities around the state of Pennsylvania. In April 2008, newspaper editorials supporting lost and stolen handgun reporting appeared in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, York, Scranton, Erie, Allentown, Chambersburg and Harrisburg.

CeaseFirePA

215-923-3151

info@ceasefirepa.org