HARTFORD, Conn. -- Hartford officials have given city lawyers the authority to sue state residents who fail to report their guns have been lost or stolen.

The City Council approved an ordinance on Monday that gives the city the power to sue any state resident who fails to report a missing gun which is then used in a crime in Hartford.

The ordinance requires gun owners to report lost or stolen guns to the police within 72 hours, or face civil penalties.

Mayor Eddie Perez first announced the proposal during his state of the city address in March when he spoke about gun violence on city streets.

Perez and members of the council decided they could not wait for legislation pending at the General Assembly to help control the problem.

"It is a problem we wanted to address, and this is one step in the right direction," Perez said Monday. "We hope it will be strengthened at the state level, so we can continue to deal with illegal guns in our city."

The ordinance gives the city the power to sue any Connecticut resident whose stolen or lost gun is not reported and is then used in a crime in Hartford.

Hartford recorded 164 shooting incidents in 2006. Police say many of the shooting incidents involve illegal guns, including confiscated firearms whose owners later claim were stolen.

City officials also hope the new local law will help the city's lawyers pursue "straw buyers," who buy weapons legally and then turn them over to people who cannot legally own a gun.

The city's ordinance will also empower the city's lawyers to attempt to recover some of the costs incurred by the police in connection with many shooting cases, city officials said.

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