NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A new bill under consideration by lawmakers could lead to gun owners being fined hundreds of dollars if they don’t report stolen guns in a certain time frame.
The bill filed by Memphis Representative Justin Pearson would make it a misdemeanor for someone to go more than 24 hours without reporting a stolen gun or they could be fined $500.
The 24-hour countdown starts the moment a person finds out their gun is missing.
What's not in the bill is any idea of how law enforcement would be able to confirm the timeline. For example, if someone discovered their gun was stolen over a day ago but lie and say it was within the window of the law, so it's likely more needs to be hashed out.
So far this year, 73 guns have been stolen from vehicles alone in Nashville. The total number of guns stolen this year in Davidson County is 110, which means that 66% of guns stolen so far in 2024 have been taken from cars.
Last year at this same time, 134 guns had been stolen from vehicles. These are guns that MNPD says are used in violent crime across the city.
The bill is on the Criminal Justice Subcommittee calendar for today.
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