Should the Charleston Police Keep Inventory Records of Legally Owned Guns?

The Charleston Police Department is trying to combat crime in a few unique ways, including offering monetary incentives up to $100 to information on illegal guns, as well as the usual calls for individuals to hand in unwanted guns. But the city’s police are making a step that might seem to be crossing the line.

The Charleston Daily Mail is reporting Chief Brent Webster as called for residents to inventory their firearms, which includes obtaining inventory cards from the police.

The paper quotes Webster, “We want to ask the citizens of Charleston to properly inventory and secure their firearms. It’s a completely voluntary thing.”

We agree that such a move should be voluntary and it is probably a good idea to inventory any firearm, in case of a theft. But it comes into a gray area in our minds as the paper reports that this could be used to track ownership:

“Officers also will be providing safety locks for those who turn in copies of their inventory cards to police.”

Should anyone actually turn in the inventory cards? This seems like a way to get people to register their long guns with the city, even though it isn’t a law. This is where we find the moving a tad disturbing.