HARTFORD’S LOST OR STOLEN GUN ORDINANCE NOW IN EFFECT

---NEWS RELEASE---

(May 15, 2007)--- Mayor Eddie A. Perez’s proposed gun ordinance is now in effect for the City of Hartford.  City Council unanimously passed the measure at last night’s meeting.  The ordinance requires Hartford residents to report lost or stolen firearms within 72 hours.  It also enables Corporation Counsel to sue anyone, anywhere who failed to report a lost or stolen gun that is used in a felony in the Capital City. 

Mayor Perez says, “While I fully support a similar effort on the state level, Hartford can’t wait.  I want to thank Council members and members of the community for uniting on this important issue.  Public safety is a top priority and getting illegal guns off our streets will ensure that all of our neighborhoods continue to be vibrant.  The people of this great city spend millions of dollars fighting gun crime and 93-percent of the weapons come from out of town.  It’s time the people who buy these guns are held accountable.”

Last year, Hartford Police recovered 500 illegal guns from the streets.  The year before that, the number was 350.  On a national level, Mayor Perez is an original member of Mayor’s Against Illegal Guns.  Mayors from across the country are engaging in new and innovative ways to keep these weapons off the streets of all of our cities and towns.

In addition to this local ordinance, Mayor Perez has also allotted funding in this year’s budget for 80 more police officers to patrol the streets of Hartford.  As Mayor Perez stated in his State of the City Address, they’ll be walking the beat, riding bicycles, and he’s bringing back the mounted patrol.  By adding 80 more officers, the HPD will exceed the Mayor’s goal of a 500-member police force.