EASTPOINTE, Mich. – A new weapon ordinance was introduced Thursday to Eastpointe residents after an “inordinate amount of firearms have been stolen from unlocked vehicles."

According to the Eastpointe Police Department, the city established a new ordinance to hold people accountable.

Eastpointe Ordinance No. 1178 ordains the storage of a firearm in an unlock motor vehicle is prohibited. It can be read below.

(a) No person shall store or keep any pistol, revolver, rifle or shotgun in an unlocked motor vehicle unless such weapon is secured in the trunk or locked in the glove box or other locked container, or equipped with a tamper-resistant mechanical lock or other safety device, properly engaged so as to render such weapon inoperable by any person other than the owner or other lawfully authorized user. For purposes of this section, such weapon shall not be deemed stored or kept if carried by or under the control of the owner or other lawfully authorized user.

(b) Violations; penalties.

(1) A first offense shall be a municipal civil infraction subject to a fine up to $350.00.

(2) A second or subsequent offenses shall constitute a misdemeanor punishable by a fine up to $500.00 or up to 90 days in jail or both.

Section 2. Severability. If any section, clause, or provision of this Ordinance shall be declared to be unconstitutional, void, illegal, or ineffective by any Court of competent jurisdiction, such section, clause, or provision declared to be unconstitutional, void, or illegal shall thereby cease to be a part of this Ordinance, but the remainder of this Ordinance shall stand and be in full force and effect.

Section 3. Repealer. All Ordinances or parts of Ordinances in conflict herewith are hereby repealed only to the extent necessary to give this Ordinance full force and effect.

Section 4. Publication. The Clerk shall publish this Ordinance within ten days in a newspaper printed and circulating within the City of general circulation.

Section 5. Effective Date. This Ordinance shall become effective ten days after date of adoption by the City Council.

“There is no reason to store a firearm in a vehicle that is not secured especially overnight,” the Eastpointe Police Department said in a Facebook post. “More than likely, your firearm will be used in other crimes such as murder, assault, robbery, and other violent acts.”