Pittsburgh council OKs controversial lost-or-stolen gun bill

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review ^ | 12/2/2008 | Jeremy Boren

[mak5]

Gun owners in Pittsburgh who don't report their gun has been lost or stolen within 24 hours should face stiff fines and possible jail time, City Council members said today with a 6-1 vote in favor of controversial new legislation.

The bill goes to Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, who refused to say if he will use his 10-day window to veto it, sign it or allow it to pass into law.

[mak5]

This is the same city ordinance that prompted Councilwoman Payne to say that she didn't care if it was Constitutional, it was the right thing to do. Now, more of the council acknowledges their law is of doubtful legality, but they'll go after gun owners anyhow.

Dolts in office...it's a Burgh thing.

[Puppage]

Gun owners in Pittsburgh who don't report their gun has been lost or stolen within 24 hours should face stiff fines and possible jail time

That's it.....punish the victim who's property was stolen.

They passed this crap here in CT last year. When people say this is a good law I ask them "If I stole your snow shovel in July.....when would you notice it missing?"

[beltfed308]

Tar and feathers is all that is needed.

[BerniesFriend]

great law Pittsburgh..lets see..in this jail cell is the a guy who stole a gun..next to him is the gun owner who failed to report it to us in a timely fashion..we will release the gun thief any day now..the non-reporting gun owner will rot in jail..

[P8riot]

What’s the problem? Everyone should just report them all stolen right now. That’ll keep ‘em busy.

[Sacajaweau]

Never report it stolen.

[TonyStark]

In order to comply with this new law/policy/guideline/whatever, I'd like to report the following dangerous items have been stolen:

1) The 2008 Presidential election
2) Several 2008 Congressional elections
3) Hundreds of billions of dollars from the American taxpayers in the form of a bankster bailout
4) The future of a free, sovereign America my ancestors fought and died for

The list goes on. I just wanted to start with these so I am not held responsible for what happens when the reprobates who stole these things start using them to harm others.

[realdifferent1]

...she didn't care if it was Constitutional, it was the right thing to do....

I believe she also stated that she was ready to duke it out in court.

The taxpayers should be tarring and feathering her.

[chris37]

All of my guns, of which my right to bear them SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED, were all sold in private sales, and no bill or record of said sale was generated, so I guess the powers that be will just have to take my word for it.

[Virginia Ridgerunner]

It’s a non-starter in PA, where pre-emption is state law. The court that hears a case arising from this nonsense is obligated to throw out the charges and declare the ordinance unconstitutional (per PA).

[vortigern]

"I'm not sure if it's 100-percent legal; I'm not sure that anything really is," Peduto said. "But let's give it a shot."

It'd be funny if it wasn't so ignorant.

[70th Division]

Can you picture this. A guy robs a bank with a stolen gun. He gets caught. Now he faces charges or robbery, felony firearms charges and more. So the cop says; “When did you steal the gun?” Robber I don't know, last week, last month, last year. Cop; “Well we need to know cause we want to bust the owner. What was the date and time?”

So the standard answer for stolen guns is now 12 hours.

[Waco]

Oughta work at least as well as outlawing crime,,,,,stupid sh-ts!

[Ancesthntr]

“I don’t care if it is Constitutional.” Tonya Payne

“Nothing can destroy a government more quickly than its failure to observe its own laws, or worse, its disregard of the charter of its own existence.” - U.S. Supreme Court Justice Tom C. Clark, in Mapp v. Ohio, 1961

Let’s see, Tonya Payne vs. a USSC Justice...guess whose wisdom I’m betting on.

[RayBob]

There are some interesting behind the scenes gyrations going on with this. The bill was introduced by Peduto, who is a political rival of Ravenstahl (ran against him for mayor and lost [primaries]). Ravenstahl’s backers on council won’t vote for anything that Peduto puts out, so Peduto puts up legislation that is intended to cause Ravenstahl and his supporters heartburn. Its stuff that the Ravenstahl voters would like, but when the Ravenstahl contingent on council votes it down, Peduto uses it to beat Ravenstahl over the head with, and if the backers vote for it, it looks like Peduto is more of a leader than Ravenstahl.

I have it on good authority that there are members of council that support the bill, but won;t vote for it because Peduto put it up and they are tying themselves up in knots over what to do...

[elmer fudd]

All of my guns, of which my right to bear them SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED, were all sold in private sales, and no bill or record of said sale was generated, so I guess the powers that be will just have to take my word for it.

Same here. What a coincidence! Some nice guy named T-Bone came by and offered to buy them all. Seems he runs a marksmanship club for disadvantaged youth and needed them for some sort of initiation ceremony or something. It's nice to see youth getting involved in sports and the outdoors!

[RS_Rider]

My suggestion is that they all collectively jump off the USS building.... I can dream can’t I?

[Renegade]

Tried the same thing in Philly this year and it was thrown out because the Constitution of the state forbids local changes of firearm laws .

[TigersEye]

“I didn’t report it because I stole it from Mayor Ravenstahl’s house a year ago, officer.”

[I_Like_Spam]

This is particularly disgraceful as the City of Pittsburgh is tapped out broke, yet the city council thinks nothing of committing hundreds of thousands of dollars to defending an indefensible and unconstitutional ordinance, not to mention a futile one which will make the city less safe.