REPORTING THE LOST

In yesterday's piece, I mentioned the legislative proposal introduced by Oklahoma Republican Paul Wesselhoft to require parents to promptly report the death or disappearance of their child. I thought it was a good idea and I said so.

I also think Wesselhoft's measure is constitutional. States have a valid interest in protecting its youngest citizens and seeing that those who harm them are brought to justice. Despite the fact that parenting is a guaranteed constitutional right, there is no rational argument that a prompt reporting requirement would unduly infringe on a parent's right to raise their child as they see fit.

Here's where Wesselhoft and I part ways. I think the same logic applies to requiring gun owners to promptly report lost or missing firearms. Wesselhoft doesn't. Then again, he belongs to the N.R.A.; I don't.

In every study ever conducted on the matter, researchers found that the overwhelming percentage of firearms used in street crimes were stolen from their legitimate owner and made their way to the black market where would-be criminals purchased them. However, according to U.S. Department of Justice studies, less than ten percent of those firearms were reported stolen by their rightful owners.

This begs the question: Don't gun owners care about their stolen weapons which are being used to terrorize our society? Apparently not - or at least not so much so that they feel compelled to report those thefts to authorities. I confess. I just don't get it.

The National Rifle Association and gun owners around the country vehemently oppose requiring gun owners to promptly report lost or stolen firearms. They say such a measure would infringe upon their constitutional right to possess firearms. They claim the matter is none of the government's business.

When I look at the Caylee's Law proposal and prompt reporting of stolen gun proposals, I see a difference without a distinction. Both concern a protected constitutional right. Both are addressed to protecting the safety of the state's citizenry, and both entail no more of a burden than picking up a phone and making a call. Is that really too much to ask?