Many gun owners only have one or two firearms. They keep it wherever they keep it and they don't really handle it particularly often. They're not at the range every week, going through thousands of rounds like a competition shooter. Many see their guns a few times a year.
But a new bill in North Carolina might well land some of them in hot water after they're the victim of a gun theft.
See, the bill in question requires people to notify the police if their gun is stolen. Now, I think people should tell the cops about their stolen firearms, if for no other reason than it might be returned to them if it's recovered. Assuming, of course, the serial number hasn't been destroyed.
This bill, though, requires it and levels penalties on those who don't.
A new bill in the North Carolina General Assembly aims to address a problem that has been a growing concern: stolen guns used in crimes.
The bill, named the "Jenesis Firearm Accountability Act," is named after 8-year-old Jenesis Dockery, who investigators say was shot with a stolen gun.
Senate Bill 161 would require gun owners to report a stolen or lost gun within 48 hours. The bill was inspired by the tragic death of Jenesis Dockery in Fayetteville in 2023. Investigators say she was shot and killed by her 12-year-old cousin, who stole his grandfather's gun.
"This gun law won't bring their daughter back, but maybe it will save others," said Sen. Val Applewright, D-Cumberland.
If gun owners fail to report a stolen weapon and it is used in a crime, they would receive a warning the first time. Repeat offenders could face fines of up to $500 for a second offense and $1,000 for subsequent offenses.
No, the penalties aren't the worst thing possible, but it's still idiotic to punish the victim of a crime for being the victim of a crime.
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In this case, victims have 48 hours to report it, but that can only work if they know the gun was stolen in the first place, for one thing. As I already noted, a lot of people are just casual gun owners. They have a firearm in the nightstand or in the closet in case someone breaks into their home, but they're not regulars at the gun stores. They just don't focus on the weapon being in their home.
Let's understand that this is about a person who was killed with a stolen gun, which I get. Most homicides seem to be committed with stolen guns, after all, but would a police report have changed the outcome here?
Maybe, maybe not.
The kid who reportedly pulled the trigger apparently stole the gun out of his grandfather's safe, so maybe they'd have talked to him about it, but that's again assuming the grandfather even noticed it was gone. If he did, the fact that he didn't call the kid's parents up to ask about the gun suggests that he didn't think the kid was responsible if he did notice any such thing, so I'm skeptical a law like this would have done much of anything.
This is really about a grieving parent pushing for regulations because he wants his little girl's death to have meaning and lawmakers looking for ways they can punish gun owners for anything short of absolute perfection, teaming up to push a terrible idea that only penalizes the victims of a crime.
Encouraging people to report stolen guns is a good thing, but trying to force people to do so isn't the way to make it happen. Especially considering the reason many won't report it is that they don't trust the government knowing they have firearms in the first place.
