Hatboro - the next municipality to enact "Lost and Stolen" law? EDIT: Norristown too?

[anonymouse]

http://www.montgomerynews.com/articl...b103932396.txt

Council considers ordinance on guns

Published: Wednesday, December 16, 2009

By Amanda Glensky
Staff Writer

Next year Hatboro may join the 21 Pennsylvania municipalities targeting illegal guns.

In both its December meetings, Hatboro council publicly debated the potential adoption of an ordinance that would require residents to report their lost or stolen handguns within a determined amount of time.

Still in its discussion stages, adopting any legislation depends on whether Hatboro can do so lawfully and if it gets council’s support.

Hatboro Mayor Norm Hawkes is a member of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a national coalition working to keep firearms away from criminals by regulating illegal handguns.

The coalition, co-chaired by Mayors Michael Bloomberg of New York City and Thomas Menino of Boston, supports lost or stolen gun reporting reforms that are currently under consideration in individual Pennsylvania municipalities.

The Pennsylvania General Assembly held a vote almost two years ago and was approximately 25 proponents shy of passing a statewide lost or stolen gun law, Joe Grace, executive director of advocacy organization CeaseFire PA, said in an interview Tuesday.

“This is not about the Second Amendment. This is about illegal gun trafficking,” he said.

In hopes of garnering state support, 17 Pennsylvania municipalities have adopted their own lost or stolen gun ordinances, and four additional ones have passed resolutions stating they believe gun violence is an issue, he said.

Philadelphia, Allentown, Erie and Lancaster have all adopted lost or stolen ordinances.

Currently, borough Solicitor Christen Pionzio is examining how Hatboro might legally move forward. One such issue under consideration is if an ordinance would pre-empt any state laws.

She has not determined anything yet, she said Monday.

Councilwoman Nancy Guenst said this month she would not support such an ordinance.

It would target legal handgun owners, and it would be unenforceable, she said after Monday’s meeting.

She doesn’t believe the borough is in a position to enact the legislation, she said.

“I believe it’s all handled at the state level and that’s where it should be handled,” she said.

It might also lead to more regulation, Guenst said.

“I believe that the next part of that ordinance would be to regulate in Hatboro all legal gun owners.”

Laws monitoring lost or stolen handguns would benefit both residents and the police officers, Hawkes said after the meeting.

“My concern is in the last seven years, 18 law enforcement officers were killed in the state of Pennsylvania,” he said.

More than half of them were shot with illegal guns, he said.

At council’s Dec. 7 meeting, Guenst urged Hawkes to leave Mayors Against Illegal Guns.

Hawkes said the coalition recognizes the right of citizens to keep and bear arms, and targets those in possession of illegal handguns.

“As a responsible gun owner, you don’t need to worry,” he said.

Councilwoman Aleta Ostrander said residents have asked her not to support a lost or stolen gun ordinance.

“They’re afraid this is the beginning of something big,” she said.

She also said enforcing a law could add unnecessary work for the police department, and suggested council “tread lightly.”

Councilwoman Marianne Reymer suggested council might be able to support legislation at a state level.

Council President John Zygmont read a letter Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Frank Pawlowski had previously addressed to Hawkes to thank him for taking steps to reduce access to guns at the local level, and adding that steps can be taken in municipalities.

Lost and stolen ordinances are under consideration in Norristown and in other municipalities in Montgomery and Delaware counties, Grace said.

Gun lobbyists have brought law suits against Philadelphia and Pittsburgh in an attempt to block local handgun reporting ordinances, arguing they were pre-empted by state law, but these cases were dismissed, he said.

Edit: Found something about Norristown too:

http://www.timesherald.com/articles/...3563842440.txt

<SNIP>
In other business, council introduced an ordinance requiring residents who have lost a firearm or had a firearm stolen to report the loss or theft within 72 hours. A violation of the ordinance would carry a $600 fine.

“It’s very common,” Bono said. “Some people do not report when their guns are stolen.”

Carl Rotenberg can be reached at crotenberg@timesherald.com or 610-272-2500, ext. 350.

[falcn]

AARRRRRRRRRRRGHHHHHHHHHHHHH

[cgbudde]

when are these people going to learn the laws.

[Roscoe]

Screw this.......

Thanks for posting this anonymouse

[Brick]

I cannot say a thing about Hatboro or any other municipality enacting illegal ordinaces except WhereTF is the Commonwealth's Attorney General ?

If Corbett is this inactive (hidebound, lazy, inertia influenced, you chose the adjective) I cannot even begin to think of him as a possible candidate for higher office or even for re-election if the full truth be told.

[PocketProtector]

Like Hatboro has a problem with stolen guns

Just another clueless anti-asshat group with an agenda

[Emptymag]

when are these people going to learn the laws.

Trust me. They KNOW the law - they are thumbing their noses at it.

One by one, town by town, until the state says, "Well, I guess if they ALL enacted these laws, we may as well adopt it statewide." I don't know if that can be done(legally), but that's where I see it going. (And surely that is/was the "plan" all along)

[Paradigm]

Tom Corbett, where are you?!?!


Oh, yeah...he's busy doing his "two-year milking" of the bonusgate scandal in hopes of getting positive PR for his guv run.

[bighornjd]

I cannot say a thing about Hatboro or any other municipality enacting illegal ordinaces except WhereTF is the Commonwealth's Attorney General ?

If Corbett is this inactive (hidebound, lazy, inertia influenced, you chose the adjective) I cannot even begin to think of him as a possible candidate for higher office or even for re-election if the full truth be told.

How can you expect him to do his job when he's so busy running for governor...?

Or maybe he will be just as bad a governor as he is Attorney General...?

[Roscoe]

I emailed John Zygmont, Hatboro Councilman
this is what I got back.
--------------------------------------------

Reporting of stolen guns, not reducing access to guns OR reporting the ownership of guns.

Only thing the mayors are asking for is for a requirement that stolen guns be reported to local police within 72 hours AFTER IT IS DISCOVERED THAT THEY ARE STOLEN. In which case, they are not reporting a gun that they posess, but a gun that they no longer posess. The wording is AFTER IT IS DISCOVERED that the gun has been stolen.

There is no intent to make the victim a further victim. It is a requirement to make the irresponsible gun owner responsible.

Where does that violate anyone's constitutional rights? This is not requiring the reporting of guns, it is requiring the reporting of a crime.

The Mayor has taken this up as an issue because it is of concern to number of law enforcement officers. One of those officers is the Commissioner of the Pennsylvania State Police.

The question of constitutionality is being addressed by the solicitor

When the solicitor's opinion is received we will review it and decide whether further investigation of any action is even an option.

Then we can read specific language as to what the Borough will and will not support.

I deal with the facts that I will be dealing with and the wording of what I will be voting on, notr a battle between the pro and anti gun lobbies. I will listen to what they may say, but I will form my own opinion, because in the end I am responsible for my vote. I will not sit ion a council meeting and shoot fromt he hip, especially when the Commission of the highest law enforcement officer in the state is asking us to CONSIDER it.

Sorry Paul, but I am going to carefully review the information and make a decision. I don;t take any of this stuff lightly.

John

What bullshit
Please feel free to email him and show your support for the 2nd amendment
ziggycpa@gmail.com