Southwestern PA town joins Pittsburgh as another Allegheny County community to approve law helping police crack down on illegal handgun traffickers

WILKINSBURG, June 4 – Wilkinsburg Council last night voted unanimously to pass a law requiring gun owners to report lost or stolen firearms to the police - joining a growing list of Pennsylvania communities that have passed this common sense reform to help police reduce access to illegal handguns.

By a convincing 6-to-0 vote, Wilkinsburg’s Council passed the lost or stolen firearms reporting ordinance at its regular Council meeting. Wilkinsburg joins nearby Pittsburgh in passing this reasonable reform, making Allegheny County the first county in Pennsylvania where two municipalities have passed the lost or stolen firearm reporting requirement into law. The bill goes to Mayor John Thompson, who is expected to sign the measure.

“Gun violence is a serious problem in our state and in our region,” said Wilkinsburg Council Vice President Jason Cohn, who voted for the reform. “Homicides are rising in the Pittsburgh area, and illegal handguns are fueling the problem. This ordinance is a reasonable step to help police identify illegal traffickers and keep handguns out of the hands of criminals. It’s our job to protect the citizens of Wilkinsburg, and I believe this law helps us do that.”

Councilwoman Vanessa McCarthy-Johnson explained, “This ordinance is critical for Wilkinsburg. Residents need to understand that once their handguns leave their homes, something tragic can happen to someone – a loved one, a friend, a neighbor. I don't believe this ordinance violates our Second Amendment, I believe it enhances the safety of our neighborhoods.”

Seven Pennsylvania cities and towns have passed local laws requiring that lost or stolen handguns be reported to the police within a reasonable period of time after they’re discovered missing. Allentown and Pottsville in the Lehigh Valley of the state, Reading and Harrisburg in central Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, and now Pittsburgh and Wilkinsburg in the southwest have all passed this common sense reform into law.

Wilkinsburg, a short drive from Pittsburgh, is also home to a gun shop patronized by Richard Poplawski, the accused killer of three Pittsburgh police officers in a terrible, recent act of gun violence. Since 2005, 12 law enforcement officers have been shot and killed in Pennsylvania in the line of duty. More than half of the guns used in those murders were stolen.

CeaseFirePA has worked closely with a local coalition of Wilkinsburg residents and officials concerned by rising gun violence in their area. CeaseFirePA’s western Pennsylvania coordinator, Jana Finder, said, “We’re working with communities here, including Wilkinsburg and Pittsburgh, to educate citizens and local leaders on reasonable policies to reduce and prevent gun violence. We commend Wilkinsburg for taking this step to protect its citizens and to help police track down illegal handguns and get them off our streets. This is just common sense.”

Phil Goldsmith, President of CeaseFirePA highlighted the statewide nature of the issue. “Illegal handgun violence is not isolated in a single region. It is as much an issue in smaller cities like Wilkinsburg and Pottsville, as in urban metropolises like Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Asking gun owners to support police by reporting lost and stolen guns is overwhelming supported by the public.”

CeaseFirePA executive director Joe Grace said last night’s vote in Wilkinsburg sends another clear signal to the Pennsylvania General Assembly, which has so far failed to enact a lost or stolen handgun reporting law statewide, that Pennsylvania cities and towns are taking steps on their own to protect their communities, in the absence of legislative action.

“Allentown, Pottsville, Reading, Harrisburg, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and now, Wilkinsburg, have all taken the reasonable step of requiring that owners of lost or stolen handguns report them missing to the police,” Grace said. “This isn’t a Second Amendment issue. It’s a law enforcement issue. The real question is whether the General Assembly will show the same political courage as these Pennsylvania towns and stand up to the NRA by passing this simple reform to protect all our citizens and police from the threat posed by illegal handguns.”