Lansing Mayor Andy Schor is calling for an ordinance that would require lost or stolen guns to be reported to city police.
The second-term mayor made the announcement during a news conference called Monday in response to gun violence in the city.
Lansing has tallied 24 homicides so far in 2021, the highest number in decades, and Schor blamed illegal guns for much of the problem.
"I understand gun ownership and, and responsible gun ownership," Schor said. "But if someone has it lost or stolen, police need to know about it.”
The city's attorneys are still drafting the proposal, Schor said. It's not clear whether failure to report would result in civil penalties or whether it would be a criminal misdemeanor.
Schor is asking City Council to take up the ordinance in early 2022.
Michigan law already requires people to report stolen firearms to appropriate law enforcement, although that law doesn't reference lost firearms. Violation of the state law is a civil infraction with a fine up to $500.
Twenty-three of the 24 homicides reported to police this year involved gunfire, LPD spokesman Robert Merritt said. Information was not immediately available on how many of the guns involved were obtained illegally.
