Gun owners in Mount Pleasant whose firearms are stolen may soon be required to report the theft to police.

A proposed city ordinance was introduced this month to help police end an epidemic of black-market gun deals, which often begin with weapons stolen from unlocked cars and trucks.

Councilwoman Guang Ming Whitley said she came up with the idea in the fall when her children came home from school with postcards from Be Smart, which distributed the announcements at schools throughout the county.

The city's public safety committee will discuss a similar measure enacted in Columbia at a February meeting and decide whether to draft a similar proposal for Mount Pleasant. If they do, it'll go to the attorney general's office, where state officials will ensure it doesn't conflict with existing firearm ownership protections.

In Columbia, theft victims whose guns are recovered by police can retrieve them after providing proof that they'd reported the theft within two weeks of discovering the loss. Those who can't must pay a $150 fee, which covers the cost of the investigations required to track down the proper owner.

Several states have enacted similar reporting requirements, and gun owners who don't report thefts in Washington state and New Jersey may be held civilly liable for crimes carried out with their stolen guns. And gun owners in Eastpointe, Mich., can face up to 90 days in jail for leaving their firearms in unlocked vehicles, a measure that Second Amendment rights activists say violates owners' freedoms.

South Carolina doesn't directly penalize owners for leaving their guns out, but parents can be charged with neglect if their children injure themselves while left unsupervised with unsecured firearms. Of the 34 Palmetto State children who've been shot since January 2017, eight found the weapons in vehicles.

It's a key concern for area pediatricians, which is why those at Medical University Hospital have added questions about gun storage to their conversations with parents and offer free security equipment to those who need it.

"The ordinance is allowing a conversation," said Dr. Annie Lintzenich Andrews, a pediatrician at the hospital who helped establish Be Smart in Charleston County. "That's been our goal."

In 2019, 50 guns were stolen from cars in Mount Pleasant, with 37 of those cars unlocked at the time, according to police data.

Police Chief Carl Ritchie said he supports the ordinance.

"I think the police department is working very hard," Whitley said. "We see this as being a resource ... to collect data and understand the problem better."

Since the committee hasn't had a chance to draft or review an ordinance, no one aspect of the proposal is set in stone. The required time frame, and enforcement methods, will depend on the attorney general's interpretation of state law and the council's judgment.

Earlier reporting means police can begin their search for the firearm as quickly as possible and may be able to narrow down the list of suspects if the gun is later used in a crime. And while the reporting won’t include any penalty or fine, activists hope it’ll help make gun owners mindful about locking down their property.

"Someone said this wasn't a town issue, which I disagree with," Whitley said. With no statewide law and a rash of gun thefts throughout the Lowcountry, she thinks towns may be able to spark awareness and inspire potential solutions.