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James Purdy brought a big sign and a big gun to Public Square during a July protest of legislation proposed by Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson.

(Lynn Ischay, The Plain Dealer)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson met with members of city council's Safety Committee Wednesday to make the case for a new set of sweeping city gun laws that he said will help prevent firearms from ending up in the hands of criminals.

But the presentation, which included comments from Police Chief Calvin Williams, Safety Director Michael McGrath and the city's Chief Counsel Rick Horvath, prompted more questions than answers about the proposed ordinances' power to reduce gun violence in the city.

One of the ordinances would require gun offenders to register with the city's safety department within five days of either being released from prison or moving to Cleveland.

Others replace the city's current gun ordinances with language that mirrors state law, including prohibitions against using a gun while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, defacing a gun's serial number or allowing a minor to use a gun without supervision.

Lost or stolen firearms would have to be reported to police within 48 hours. Private sales must be reported, too, and a person would only be able to buy one firearm every 90 days. Failure to do so could result in a second-degree misdemeanor conviction and up to a $75 fine.

Jackson emphasized that the measures are not attempts to limit lawful gun ownership, but rather to keep guns out of dangerous hands and clear up confusion about which of the city's gun laws remain in effect after the Ohio Supreme Court struck down Cleveland's assault weapons ban in 2010.

But council members and readers on cleveland.com -- who followed coverage of the hearing online -- questioned the efficacy of the proposed laws and suggested that city officials are naïve if they believe that criminals would bother registering under the threat of a misdemeanor charge.

"I'm of the opinion that the bad people with guns aren't registering nothing," said councilman Michael Polensek. "And in the neighborhood I grew up in, I can assure you that the Mafia weren't registering, either. We could pass a whole lot of things here, but I need to know how we are going to better address the illegal guns on the street."

Councilman Zack Reed pointed out that there are no gun shops in Cleveland, and he questioned how the city could enforce the restriction against buying multiple guns in a 90-day period when people simply buy guns in other cities.

Horvath conceded that the new ordinances would only apply within the city limits but added that that gun sales occur in places other than gun shops.

Polensek questioned whether some of the administration's proposals would be struck down by the courts. Councilman Joe Cimperman asked if officials had tried to work out compromises with the gun lobby to reach a set of laws that wouldn't end in a court fight.

Committee chairman Matt Zone limited the discussion but promised to dedicate time at the next hearing to testimony from council members and residents who are opposed to the ordinances. The committee will take up the issue again on Sept. 24 and Oct. 4.