Pa. township requires gun thefts to be reported
Lost and stolen handguns in Hatfield, Pa., now must be reported. In December, Hatfield became the first township in the state and the 19th Pennsylvania community to adopt an ordinance requiring residents to report lost or stolen firearms to police upon discovery of their absence. The reform is intended to address the statewide proliferation of illegal guns. Under the new law, Hatfield gun owners will have 72 hours from the time a lost or stolen firearm is discovered to report it to the police.
The law, which was endorsed by Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Frank Pawlowski, does not target legal gun owners, but criminals, Board President and Ward I Township Commissioner Scott Brown said. “This is a law enforcement issue,” Brown said. “This is about illegal guns in the hands of criminals. We’d never take an action against legal gun ownership. We are working against illegal guns only.” Philadelphia and Pittsburgh are among the 19 Pennsylvania communities that have passed similar laws. Others have passed resolutions calling for action by the General Assembly, and more than one dozen other cities are considering similar laws.
Read Hatfield’s statement on the new law.