CINCINNATI — Gun owners who fail to report their stolen or missing guns in a reasonable time could be subjected to a hefty fine and a criminal charge in the latest effort to crack down on gun violence in the city.
Cincinnati council member Liz Keating penned two new emergency ordinances. The lone Republican on council, she stood with Mayor Aftab Pureval, fellow council members and community leaders Wednesday to champion the bipartisan legislation.
The first ordinance targets the revolving door of firearms, Keating said, enacting locally the Ohio state law that requires gun owners to immediately report a lost or stolen firearm.
If gun owners do not notify police, they will be subjected to a fourth degree misdemeanor and a Class D civil penalty of $750.
"Many times, gun owners share their guns with family members and friends. Once it is confiscated by police or turns up in a crime scene — only then does the gun owner claim it was stolen and ask to have it returned," Keating said. "Not only does the immediate reporting requirement incentivize gun owners to hold onto their weapons, but it helps our officers know which guns are illegally possessed and out in the community."
Keating said the second piece of legislation is protecting taxpayer dollars from negligent, reckless, and irresponsible gun owners. When guns are confiscated by police officers or turned in to the Cincinnati Police Department, those weapons go through a process to get identified, tested, and entered into the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) database.
After extensive review, the city found that it costs taxpayers $200 per firearm, Keating said.
"When a gun owner requests their property to be returned, CPD officers run a background check and — if necessary — verify judicial approval. It takes a significant amount of time and resources," Keating said. "This legislation implements a fee for this service and a timeline for the return of the firearm as long as all background checks are approved.
Victims of crimes will not be charged to receive their firearms back.
“It is not just important, but necessary that we equip our law enforcement with the tools they need to keep families safe. By closing loopholes and helping keep guns out of the wrong hands, this legislation is a critical step forward in our collective work to combat gun violence," Mayor Aftab Pureval said. "Councilmember Keating has spent her entire career working to make Cincinnati a safer city, and this is a perfect example of her thoughtful and tireless leadership.”
Thefts of firearms are skyrocketing in Cincinnati.
So far this year, 609 have been reported stolen to CPD, which occurred in 504 incidents. It's a more than 30% increase from 2022 during which 501 firearms were stolen in 440 incidents.
A little more than 15% of firearms stolen this year have been recovered, according to CPD data.
"When it comes to preventing gun violence, we can’t stop, we can’t rest, and we can’t slow down. The commitment and unfortunate need of my team to continuously problem solve, working with our elected officials around such a ridiculous problem, shows the lengths we will go in Cincinnati to insist that gun owners act responsibly. It’s been repeated so many times, to the point where it becomes painful: guns that are lost, stolen, or not locked up are being used
to commit violent crimes," said city manager Sheryl Long.
The ordinances will go before the full committee next week for a vote.
