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Indianapolis Council Passes Firearm Theft Reporting Measure

Update - Dec. 15, 10:21 a.m.

The Indianapolis City-County Council passed an ordinance Monday night that requires gun owners in the Circle City to report missing or stolen firearms to police within 48 hours.

The measure passed with a 15-14 vote, the Indianapolis Star reports.

But it appeared unlikely that it would take effect, with concerns out of the mayor's office pointing toward a likely veto.

Backers said it wasn't a cure-all to the city's crime epidemic but hope the reporting requirements would help law enforcement track stolen weapons that might be used in future crimes.



Some critics of the measure say it could leave the city open to lawsuits.

Original story:

The Indianapolis City-County Council will take up a proposed ordinance Monday that would require gun owners in the city to report to police within 48 hours if their firearm is missing or stolen.

Owners who fail to report missing or stolen guns would face a $50 fine.

The proposed ordinance is a step several other U.S. states have already taken - a move Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs professor Paul Helmke says is designed to stem the flow of weapons obtained illegally.

"The theory behind these sorts of laws is that it helps stop straw purchasing, it helps stop illegal gun trafficking and it helps protect the lawful gun owners in getting their weapon back more quickly," he says.

Helmke says at least half a million guns are stolen every year.

"When we find out where guns that are used in crimes come from, a lot of them are stolen," he says.

Nine states plus the District of Columbia have mandatory loss or theft reporting laws, according to the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. Michigan requires reporting for thefts only, and Maryland requires reporting for handguns and assault weapons only.

But critics of the proposal say it violates the Indiana Firearms Pre-emption Law, which says local governments cannot regulate firearms. Attorney Guy Relford says this ordinance would go against the goal of that law.

"This is exactly the kind of patchwork, city-by-city, county-by-county…piecemeal regulation that we were trying to prohibit through the pre-emption act because we want local governments out of the firearm regulation business," Relford says.

Helmke says the ordinance is going to be a challenge for the City of Indianapolis for more than just that reason.

"The problem is, passing an ordinance like this just affects the City of Indianapolis, and really what I think ought to be considered is some statewide legislation," he says. "I think what we need to start doing is pushing the state legislature to do that."

Helmke says he thinks firearm owners should support the proposal because it would expedite the return of stolen weapons and could aide law enforcement.

"It really does help law enforcement," he says. "When law enforcement finds a gun at a crime scene, one of the first questions we need to ask is, ‘Where did the gun come from?' The purpose of this legislation isn't to doubly penalize a lawful gun owner who has his or her weapon stolen, but it's to basically say that by reporting it, then when police find it at a crime scene, they'll be able to return it to you and know that you're not at fault."

Helmke says even if the ordinance fails, it still raises the question and encourages discussion.

Network Indiana contributed to this report.

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