Gun-related crimes perpetrated in Pittsburgh are often carried out by criminals who wield firearms that they procured in straw purchases. When the guns are traced back to the licensed owner who sold the gun to the criminal, the owner merely tells authorities that he lost the gun or that it was stolen from him. There is usually no way authorities can verify whether the gun was illegally bought in a straw purchase or if the gun was in fact stolen from the licensed owner.

Commonwealth Court's affirmation on June 18 of a Philadelphia ordinance that requires gun owners to report lost or stolen handguns to authorities marked a giant step forward for cities and towns across the state that are trying to curtail the gun trade that supplies criminals with illicit firearms.

Last December, Pittsburgh City Council passed an ordinance similar to Philadelphia's, which is now being contested in the state court system by four National Rifle Association-backed clients who say the law infringes on their right to bear arms. The ordinance requires handgun owners to report to authorities their lost or stolen handguns within 24 hours of the gun going missing. First-time offenders receive a $500 fine, while repeat offenders face possible jail sentences on top of a steeper $1,000 fine.

More and more cities and towns across the commonwealth are clamoring for lost or stolen gun ordinances like the Pittsburgh and Philadelphia ones. Allentown, Harrisburg, Lancaster, Pottsville, Reading and Wilkinsburg have already passed similar measures, not to mention more than 80 mayors in Pennsylvania who have signed the nationwide petition "Mayors Against Illegal Guns."

"The significance of this decision is that lost or stolen handgun reporting laws passed by Pennsylvania municipalities remain on the books and in effect," said Joe Grace of the gun-control advocacy group CeaseFirePA.

Another victory in the Pittsburgh court system would serve to solidify the affirmation of the Philadelphia ordinance.

Continued support of lost or stolen gun legislation is crucial in the fight to reduce crime rates in cities and towns where authorities have few means with which to rein in the straw gun dealers who abet the violent criminals in the crimes they commit. Let's hope that the affirmation of the Philadelphia lost or stolen handgun ordinance will be replicated in Pittsburgh's court case, which is set to start in the Allegheny County Common Pleas Court on July 8.