YORK, Pa. — A new firearms ordinance is being proposed by the York City Police Department and mayor.
The new ordinance aims to control the firing of guns within city limits.
Captain Daniel Lentz with the YCPD says currently, it's only a crime to shoot a gun if a victim comes forward.
But that can soon change.
“What this allows us to do is, the city can be the victim," said Capt. Lentz. "[The city] can be listed on the citation, and they are the ones that get to testify when it comes to a court hearing.”
Lentz says many shots fired incidents usually occur around holiday celebrations or from people testing their firearms.
However, he says they still put the public at risk.
“Even if you’re firing into the air, the bullets have to come down," said Lentz. "We don’t know where it’s going to land.”
According to Capt. Lentz, this new ordinance could deter people from carelessly shooting in the city limits.
But more importantly, he says it can allow the police department to do their jobs efficiently.
"It allows us to take action when we have some occurrences of shots fired and have a victim too fearful to come forward to testify,” said Capt. Lentz. "It will then allow us to take action and not let it go."
The ordinance includes a section that states it will not be enforced to regulate or infringe upon the lawful ownership, possession, transfer or transportation of firearms as permitted by the Constitution and laws of the United States and of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
The ordinance also clarifies that firearms do not include guns such as BB guns, spring guns or air pistols.
The penalty for this new ordinance includes a $1,000 fine, and imprisonment if the fine is not paid within 90 days.
The ordinance will be discussed on Wednesday at 6 p.m. at the Council Chambers in York.