The Buckeye Firearms Council is chuckling over an effort by the city of Cleveland to have its citizens voluntarily register their handguns.

What the city is asking its handgun-owning citizens to do is voluntarily take their shooting irons to the nearest police station station (unloaded, of course). There, an officer will verify the owner's identification, check the firearm's make, model, caliber and serial number and then do a records check on the piece.

The idea seems so silly to the Buckeye Firearms Council that it has launched its own voluntary so-called "De-Registration" program.

Here, the council is asking Cleveland handgun owners to fill out a short form which will be then be sent anonymously via a postcard to Cleveland. The card will simply list the person's name as "John Doe," and avoiding listing any information about the firearm or its owner.

"... We cannot fathom the logic behind this announcement. Are they expecting criminals to register their guns? Not likely. And if any law-abiding citizens register, what will  authorities do with the information? It makes no sense," the Council says in its latest release posting.

- Jeffrey L. Frischkorn
JFrischkorn@News-Herald.com