Gun control tends to be the third rail of politics in Pennsylvania, rarely if ever touched by candidates who hope to prevail on Election Day.

So it's good to see the state's top anti-gun-violence group take the rather audacious step of trying to get all of the major gubernatorial candidates to go on record in favor of tighter, commonsense gun laws.

Even more unusual is that a number of the contenders to replace Gov. Rendell are actually speaking up in favor of gun-safety measures.

At a recent Democratic debate, three candidates voiced support for critical legislation that would help police target trafficking in illegal handguns.

Requiring gun owners to report any lost or stolen handguns would reduce the number of weapons purchased legally that end up being used in street crimes. So-called "straw buyers" often claim that their legally purchased handguns were misplaced or heisted, in the event that police track a gun that was used in a crime back to them.

With cheerleading by CeaseFirePA, more than two-dozen communities across the state have come out in support of reporting missing handguns. In Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and 19 other towns, elected officials actually have passed local ordinances that require reporting stolen guns.

Not surprisingly, the National Rifle Association is challenging those rules. But the questions it raises would be moot if the next governor and legislature got behind a statewide push to target illegal handguns.

Three Democratic candidates - Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato, former U.S. Rep. Joe Hoeffel, and Scranton Mayor Chris Doherty - support a lost-and-stolen law. The other Democrat, Auditor General Jack Wagner, hasn't made that commitment but concedes that illegal weapons pose a dire safety threat that needs to be addressed.

Polls show overwhelming support for action, with 96 percent in favor of mandating missing-weapons reports. Another good sign is the 159 cities and towns that have joined the state's Mayors Against Illegal Guns group.

That type of support should make it easy for every gubernatorial candidate to support stronger gun laws, but state Attorney General Tom Corbett, the Republican front-runner, still toes the NRA line, contending that all law-abiding gun owners will report any stolen weapons.

He's missing the point. The objective isn't to target lawful gun owners, but to trip up gun traffickers with a reporting requirement they cannot legally ignore.

Corbett is ducking the issue, and that's disappointing. As the state's top law enforcement officer, he well knows the widespread support among police chiefs for tighter gun laws. The 22 funerals of Pennsylvania police officers in the last decade have been a grim testament to the dangers police officers face with so many illegal weapons in circulation.

Corbett has had some success nabbing people for illegal weapons deals with the Gun Violence Task Force, but it's still worth it to close the loophole on reporting missing weapons. Most Pennsylvanians understand this measure is not about depriving law-abiding citizens of their right to own weapons; it's about saving lives. The next governor must see that.