Tuesday December 8, 2009

By: Michael Pound
Beaver County Times

ALIQUIPPA - Residents of Aliquippa now must report a lost or stolen firearm to city police, according to an ordinance adopted by Aliquippa Council last week.

The ordinance requires residents to report any lost or stolen firearm within 72 hours of discovery. Failing to do so includes fines of up to $1,000 or a 90-day jail term.

The ordinance is designed to give police a leg up on stolen firearms in the city, Mayor Anthony Battalini said.

"Most crimes committed with guns are committed by people who are already prohibited from having them," Battalini said. "This aims to make it harder for criminals to get guns."

Aliquippa is the 17th Pennsylvania municipality to adopt a lost or stolen gun ordinance, according to Cease-Fire PA, a gun-control organization. The National Rifle Association and its associates challenged the law in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, but those challenges have so far been turned down in the courts.

Battalini, a member of the state's Mayors Against Illegal Guns coalition, has been targeted by the NRA for his stance as well, but he said his support of the new gun ordinance has nothing to do with gun rights.

"I'm a gun owner, but I don't work for the gun lobby - I work for Aliquippa," he said. "I am not against guns - I am against illegal guns."

Michael Pound can be reached online at mpound@timesonline.com.