In the face of one senseless example after another of the horrible consequences of guns in the wrong hands, Pittsburgh City Council decided it was better to do something than to do nothing.

Members voted 6-1 to enact an ordinance that would give gun owners 24 hours to call police after they realize that a firearm is missing. A first offense would bring a $500 fine and that would double on a second offense.

The idea behind such legislation, of course, is not to punish legitimate owners who lose their weapons. It is to close the door on straw purchases, in which a person who can buy a gun legally turns around and sells it to a felon.

How big is the problem? Pittsburgh police officials testified that in 2007 and 2008 thus far, officers recovered 1,900 firearms during criminal investigations, but only 231 of those recovered guns were previously reported missing or stolen.

The city law department doesn't think this measure will hold up in court, and it is true that a similar law adopted in Philadelphia is facing a legal challenge. Reporting laws also have not proven terribly effective in other cities. Cleveland has had one for 12 years, for instance, yet only two people have been taken to court for violating it.

The Rev. Ricky Burgess, the only council member who voted against the measure, said he dissented because it would be a "false cure." While council members should not operate under the misapprehension that they've solved the gun problem in Pittsburgh, we don't think passing this law was an empty gesture.

On the contrary, council's measure sends a strong signal to Harrisburg that it's time for a statewide reporting law.

With its passage, Mayor Luke Ravenstahl now has the option of vetoing the bill (although it passed by a veto-proof margin), allowing it to go into law without his signature or signing it. We think putting his stamp on the bill will give it added emphasis, so let's hope he signs it and, better yet, enforces it.