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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.
