Editorial: City Council approves questionable gun control law

‘ ‘ ‘ Yesterday, Pittsburgh City Council voted in favor of a possibly ineffectual new gun… ‘ ‘ ‘ Yesterday, Pittsburgh City Council voted in favor of a possibly ineffectual new gun control bill. ‘ ‘ ‘ According to the legislation, Pittsburgh gun owners who fail to report their lost or stolen gun within 24 hours will be charged with fines and could even be sent to jail. ‘ ‘ ‘ The bill states that those who do not report their lost or stolen guns can face a $500 fine. If it happens again, violators will face a $1,000 fine and the likelihood of 90 days in jail. ‘ ‘ ‘ It is now up to Mayor Luke Ravenstahl to decide whether to veto the bill. Ravenstahl told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, ‘My concern is that this legislation ‘hellip; will send false hope to people in the communities because the reality is the legislation in and of itself at the local level gives us no further ability to get guns off the street without the help of the state.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ Ravenstahl is correct. There is no doubt that guns are dangerous weapons that, when in the wrong hands, lead to dangerous criminal activity. But this particular piece of legislation might not work. ‘ ‘ ‘ A similar lost-and-stolen gun reporting law in Cleveland, for instance, has been difficult to implement. The law, which has been in effect for 12 years, has only charged two people for failing to report a missing gun. Cleveland police charged four other people but soon dropped charges. ‘ ‘ ‘ Another problem with the law is the issue of its legality. Councilman Ricky Burgess voted against the legislation because, according to the Tribune-Review, he said that it violates state law, which does not allow municipalities to regulate gun sale and transfer. ‘ ‘ ‘ Philadelphia’s lost-and-stolen gun reporting law faced this problem in 1996. The issue was sent to the state Supreme Court, which ruled that it is the job of the General Assembly, not city council, to write gun laws. ‘ ‘ ‘ Ravenstahl told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, ‘It’s just a matter of whether it is a legal and enforceable piece of legislation, which I think now we would all agree that it’s not.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ While ending gun crime is an important and positive goal, lawmakers seem to have lost their focus in trying to reach that goal. Legislators should look to the examples of Cleveland and Philadelphia to reevaluate the bill. ‘ ‘ ‘ Any legislation dealing with gun control should be constitutional, practical and feasible. Without proper enforcement, this law could prove to be an inadequate response to a big problem.