By LOIS THOMSON

"I regret voting for it because it's unenforceable, and possibly unconstitutional," said Ben Avon Council member Dan Herchenroether, referring to the gun ordinance council adopted last December that requires residents to report lost or stolen handguns to the police within 72 hours or face a potentially huge fine.

His comments sparked a round of discussion at Tuesday’s meeting by other council members, who agreed that the ordinance is unenforceable. The ordinance states that owners should report that their guns are missing, but as Rob Galbraith asked, "What if the owner doesn't know it's missing?"

Solicitor Charles Means acknowledged, "To have a fine imposed, you have to show intent, and you can't (receive) a fine for something you didn't know about." Galbraith added, "You can't prove it so what good is (the ordinance)?"

Ohio Township Police Chief Norbert Micklos said he had been asked about enforcement before the ordinance was adopted, and he granted it would be difficult.

"I think it ought to be on the record that we're not going to prevent a crime from being committed with a lost or stolen gun, so it's a hollow effort," Herchenroether said.

Council member Judy Konitsney asked if council should repeal the ordinance, and Galbraith said his feeling was to do so. Council decided to table further discussion until next month.