YORK, Pa. — The York City Police Department (YCPD) proposed a new firearms ordinance to its city council on Wednesday evening in a push to stop gun violence and reckless use of firearms within their community.
The newly proposed ordinance further outlines and describes what is and what is not lawful use of firearms within the city limits. Under the current ordinance, it is only a crime to shoot a gun if a victim or witness comes forward.
"Whether you’re targeting somebody, whether you’re shooting recklessly or shooting in the air for fun, we have a very limited scope within the law to hold those individuals accountable," said York City Police Commissioner Michael Muldrow in his testimony at Wednesday's city council meeting.
"It bridges that gap for when we don’t have a victim or a victim is too afraid or not interested in coming forward," said Captain Daniel Lentz of the York City Police Department. "[It] allows us as investigators to have a little bit more control of holding individuals accountable."
Officials add the proposal to update the city's firearms ordinance is part of a larger effort to tackle a gun violence problem happening nationwide.
"[The] gun problem is everywhere and is a big problem," said Captain Daniel Lentz of the York City Police Department. "Even the smallest little pieces we can use to help solve the whole problem; we’ll take it."
Officials emphasized the new ordinance will not infringe on the rights of lawful gun owners. It's all about holding people accountable.
"This is not about targeting gun ownership or gun enthusiasts," said Muldrow. "This is not surrounding any lawful use of firearms situations. This is about making it easier to hold people who do wrong accountable. Accountable without asking our citizens to bear the burden."
"It just brings awareness to the community that you can’t just go and fire your firearm," said Capt. Lentz. "You’re accountable for every round that is fired from the weapon."
Accountability that residents hope is properly enforced and- ultimately- keeps the community safe.
"If you engage in reckless conduct with firearms, it’s going to draw a response," said York resident Manuel Gomez during the public comment portion of the meeting. "What type of response it is, how we handle the response and what does it really look like and do we affect folks that shouldn’t be affected, that’s more at what I’m trying to get at."
Officials say it just all comes down to responsible firearm use and giving tools to police to enforce it.
"We want you to be responsible if you’re going to possess a firearm. We can’t have just arbitrary gunfire," said Capt. Lentz. "We want our group members who are out there carrying their firearms to put their guns down and just contribute to the overall health of the community."
In 2022, the York City Police Department reportedly received 128 shots fired calls, 67 of which were shootings. In 2023, those numbers dropped to 64 calls and 20 shootings, largely due to significant changes including adding police officers.
However, despite the decrease, the YCPD says there is still work to be done. That includes their newly proposed ordinance which will continue to make their community a better place.
"We're going to keep doing what we have to do to keep driving down those numbers further and further so we can watch this community continue to grow," said Muldrow.
The penalty for the new ordinance includes a $1,000 fine and imprisonment if the fine is not paid within 90 days. The ordinance has not yet been voted on and remains with the Rules & Admin Code Committee for consideration.