January 14, 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information contact Joe Grace, CeaseFirePA Executive Director
Joe.Grace@CeaseFirePA.org or 215-964-7093
In Western PA, call Jana Finder, CeaseFirePA Pittsburgh Coordinator
Jana.Finder@CeaseFirePA.org or 412-370-3778

Duquesne Adopts Lost or Stolen Handgun Reporting Law

Duquesne is 24th Pennsylvania community to take action on reform

DUQUESNE – January 14, 2010 – Last night, Duquesne City Council passed an ordinance requiring that lost or stolen firearms be reported missing to the police upon discovery of their absence. Duquesne Council voted 4-0 in favor of the reform. Duquesne joins 23 other cities and towns across the Commonwealth that have taken action to require lost or stolen handgun reporting.

In accordance with the new law, Duquesne gun owners will have 24 hours to report a lost or stolen firearm missing to the police, from the time the loss or theft is discovered. Penalties for a first violation may include a fine of up to $500 and mandatory participation in an educational program on handgun safety. Penalties for second and subsequent violations include fines up to $1000 and/or up to 30 days imprisonment.

Duquesne Mayor Phil Krivacek is a member of Pennsylvania’s growing Mayors Against Illegal Guns coalition, which is committed to taking action to stem the flow of illegal guns in the Commonwealth. He praised the action of Council, noting their duty to protect the city. “As elected officials, we have to do what is right for Duquesne. Requiring citizens to report lost or stolen handguns to the police is the right thing to do. It is a commonsense step to try to get illegal guns off our streets. This action will assist our police in cracking down further on criminals who use and traffic illegal guns in our city.”

Duquesne Police Chief Richard Adams was present for the vote and supported Council’s intentions, saying, “This new ordinance requiring gun owners to report stolen guns will enable us to investigate and potentially locate a missing gun before it is used in a homicide. We recover a lot of stolen guns while apprehending criminals. Usually we were limited to charging those criminals with carrying a gun without a license only. But, if a gun we find on a criminal was previously reported stolen, we’ll also be able to charge that perpetrator with receiving stolen property. This is a helpful tool for law enforcement."

Pennsylvania police are on the front lines, working to protect communities across the state from gun violence. Since 2002, twenty Pennsylvania law enforcement officers have been shot and killed in the line of duty, including Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Paul G. Richey, who was murdered yesterday in Venango County, while responding to a domestic violence call.
Last fall, State Police Commissioner Frank Pawlowski released a statement endorsing a lost or stolen handgun reporting law, and applauding communities that had already taken the important step, encouraging cities and towns to continue pressing for statewide reform to address the proliferation of illegal guns. The Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association and the International Association of Chiefs of Police have also come out in favor of the reform as a statewide measure.

CeaseFirePA Executive Director Joe Grace explained the need for the reform, and its steady progress across the state. “We know Lost or Stolen won’t end gun violence. But it is a critical step in the right direction – sending a message to criminals and illegal gun traffickers, that their disregard for life and law will not be tolerated. Communities across the state are rising up and taking action. It is time for legislators to realize they are behind the curve of what law-abiding Pennsylvanians want on this issue. The people of Pennsylvania – led by mayors, police chiefs, town councils, and faith leaders – from Allentown to Aliquippa - are taking action, led by their local elected officials.”

Phil Goldsmith, CeaseFirePA Board President, said, “As we work in cities and towns across Pennsylvania, we see a sea change taking place on the gun issue. No longer is it an issue to shy away from because of fear of the National Rifle Association. CeaseFirePA is going toe-to-toe now with the NRA in local communities - and we are winning - as we seek passage of laws that require handgun owners to tell the police when they know their handguns have been lost or stolen. 24 cities and towns have taken action – not just large cities like Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, but also Allentown, Reading, Norristown, Erie, Harrisburg, Lancaster, York Aliquippa, Munhall, Braddock and Wilkinsburg, to name just a few. Still, our representatives in Harrisburg haven't acted yet to make this a statewide requirement. They're slow learners, but are starting to get the message from their constituents in towns across the state.”

Reverend Ellwood Martin Jr. introduced the lost or stolen handgun reporting ordinance last fall while still President of Duquesne City Council. He discussed his commitment to taking the reform statewide. “Having a requirement to report lost or stolen handguns will help deter the gun violence that occurs in the City of Duquesne. We are proud to be part of the growing coalition of cities and boroughs that have banded together to take action concerning illegal handguns in our communities. Next, we are going to start talking with legislators in Harrisburg, urging the General Assembly to act support out work at home by addressing the illegal handgun problem statewide.”

In 2008, when lost or stolen handgun reporting was first considered by the General Assembly, local PA State Representative Marc Gergely, a Democratic member who represents Duquesne, voted against the reform.

In a recent national survey of NRA members conducted by Republican pollster Frank Luntz, and commissioned by the Mayors Against Illegal Guns coalition, 78 percent of NRA members were found to be in favor of lost or stolen handgun reporting as a tool to keep illegal guns out of the hands of dangerous criminals. Support was even higher among gun owners who were not involved with the NRA (88 percent favored lost or stolen handgun reporting). The full poll can be viewed at www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org. The MAIG poll confirmed the findings of earlier polls commissioned by CeaseFirePA, which found 96 percent of Pennsylvanians to be in support of lost or stolen - including 92 percent of gun owners.

Duquesne joins 23 other communities statewide that have taken action locally in support of lost or stolen handgun reporting. The communities include: Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Reading, Pottsville, Lancaster, Harrisburg, Wilkinsburg, Erie, Homestead, West Homestead, Clairton, Oxford, Munhall, Braddock, Castle Shannon, Aliquippa, West Mifflin, and Hatfield Township, Norristown, Easton, York, and Heidelberg.

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CeaseFirePA is Pennsylvania’s largest gun violence prevention organization. CeaseFirePA is dedicated to
reducing and preventing gun violence through education and advocacy in communities across Pennsylvania.

For more information, please visit www.CeaseFirePA.org or contact our staff at 215-923-3151.