www.mcall.com/news/local/all-guns0916-cn,0,3144479.story

themorningcall.com
Valley mayors pledge crackdown on gun purchasers
3:36 PM EDT, September 16, 2008

READING

The mayors of Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton joined the mayors of Philadelphia and four other eastern Pennsylvania cities this afternoon, pledging to crack down on gun purchasers who pass weapons along to criminals.

The move was also a shot at the state legislature, which didn't pass a proposed gun safety bill in the last session.

"We come together, we go to Harrisburg, we continue to push for common sense gun laws, and time and time again we are ignored," said Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski. The mayors said they hope their actions at the local level might spur the Legislature to act more quickly.

The mayors all back city ordinances that would require lost or stolen guns to be reported quickly, creating a penalty in cases where the purchaser of a gun used in a crime later claims the gun must have been stolen.

Pawlowski, Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan and Easton Mayor Sal Panto Jr. said they would propose ordinances giving handgun owners no more than 72 hours to report them lost or stolen.

The 72 hours would begin when the owner realizes the gun is missing, and penalties could include jail time and up to a $1,000 fine.

The ordinances would be based on a Philadelphia law enacted earlier this summer with the support of Mayor Michael Nutter. That law passed its first legal challenge from the National Rifle Association, which has appealed that ruling.

This afternoon the mayors brushed aside the controversy, insisting the laws don't affect Second Amendment rights and describing the laws as a "no brainer."

"If your car is lost or stolen, you're surely going to report that," Callahan said, describing the proposals as "common sense, responsible gun safety laws."

-- Reporting by Michael Duck, The Morning Call

Copyright © 2008, The Morning Call

Why is it, that almost EVERY 'Mayor' in the country, want to turn their home state into NJ?

Not Mine!