“As long as there are guns, the individual that wants a gun for a crime is going to have one and going to get it.”

    Regardless on which side of the gun debate you find yourself on, Philly has a new gun law that you're going to need to know. As of Saturday if you own a gun and it goes missing, and you don't tell the police, expect to get a nice fine. $1,900 for first offenders and steeper fines for repeat offenders and up to 90 days in jail. Am I the only one that finds this kind of light? I am no gun toting card carrying member of the NRA, in fact I don't own a gun, but owning a gun in a responsibility. I've spent many a nights debating myself on the founding fathers intention on gun ownership. Yet, if I were to own a gun, and that gun went missing, I think I would let someone know....you know like the police. For one, I don't want them to come knocking if it's found at a crime scene, and I don't want to be responsible for it.

    I know there are people out there, who are going to say this isn't going to help crime, that criminals will just get guns from outside the area and bring them in. Yeah, I know that, but if we do not try then we do not get anywhere. I would even go further in saying that every gun before leaving the factory should be fired and the casing should go in a database with the guns serial number, that way if a crime is committed and the serial is scratched off, you can still identify the owner. Owning a gun and selling it to a criminal is the real problem here. Sometimes they are stolen and sometimes they are bought just for that purpose, either way someone usually gets shot or held up, by a illegal gun. Every owner of a gun, should feel it their civic duty to make sure that it's in their position and only in their position.
    There are people out there, that will throw the second amendment out there, or even the big brother threat, but would you want your gun to kill a child? I don't think many out there would. $1,900 isn't a steep enough fine, and I wouldn't stop there. I would add that if your "lost" gun is used in a crime, you are no longer able to get a gun. To me logic dictates if you aren't responsible with your first one then you shouldn't own another.
    Yet, if you can own a gun, and not loose it and it not be used in any crimes, then I don't think any steps should be used to hamper you in obtaining one. I don't have a problem with owning guns, to protect yourself, in fact I believe it is a right the founding fathers wanted you to have, but it's also a sacred pledge to protect that weapon and make sure that it's only used in defense (or hunting...animals...not people). It's a simple request, but I think it should be a worse punishment to loose a gun. But history will see if I am right, or if I was over reacting.