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WHEREAS, according to the Uniform Crime Report, robberies with handguns were up 12 percent in Allegheny County between 2005 and 2006, and homicides by firearm were up 36 percent in the state between 2000 and 2006; and,
WHEREAS, federal statistics show that most handguns used in crimes in Pennsylvania come from within the state, and that Pennsylvania - which Governor Rendell has called a "haven for straw purchasers" - has become a source for illegal handguns in nearby states; and,
WHEREAS, law enforcement officials view a lost or stolen reporting requirement as an important tool enabling investigators to track illegal handguns used in crimes back to their original owner as well as to create more accountability; and,
WHEREAS, police officials believe lost or stolen reporting requirements will help crack down on illegal straw purchases of handguns by individuals without a criminal background who buy handguns in bulk and then sell them to persons with criminal records; and
WHEREAS, a lost or stolen handgun reporting requirement law would greatly assist police investigators in Pittsburgh and other Pennsylvania jurisdictions as they trace illegal handguns and seek to prevent straw purchases; and,
WHEREAS, the Pennsylvania League of Cities and Municipalities, led by a Task Force of Pennsylvania mayors concerned about rising gun violence in their communities, is in favor of a lost or stolen firearm reporting law; and,
WHEREAS, law enforcement officials and agencies across Pennsylvania and the United States have come out in favor of a mandatory lost or stolen handgun reporting law including the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association and the Pennsylvania District Attorney's Association; and,
WHEREAS, the City of Pittsburgh Police Chief Nathan Harper and the Pittsburgh Fraternal Order of Police are public advocates of a statewide lost or stolen handgun reporting law; and,
WHEREAS, seven states have already passed legislation to stem the rising tide of gun violence by stopping straw purchasers from being able to buy handguns in bulk by making it mandatory for handgun owners to report their weapons lost or stolen to their local police department; and,
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THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that Pittsburgh City Council calls upon the Pittsburgh Delegation to the Pennsylvanian State Legislature to support all efforts or organize around the efforts to follow the example of seven other states by writing and passing legislation making lost or stolen handgun reporting mandatory in Pennsylvania; and,
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution shall be transmitted to the Mayor of Pittsburgh, to all members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, and to the Governor of Pennsylvania.
SPONSORED BY COUNCIL PRESIDENT DOUGLAS SHIELDS
CO-SPONSORED BY COUNCIL MEMBERS
DARLENE HARRIS, BRUCE A. KRAUS, BILL PEDUTO, REV. RICKY BURGESS, DAN DEASY, PATRICK DOWD, JIM MOTZNIK AND TONYA PAYNE