Firearms Less Than Thirty Inches Long Must Be Registered

Firearms Less Than Thirty Inches Long Must Be Registered

Firearms which are less than 30 inches long must be registered with law-enforcement officers, Chief of Police Sherman H. Mortenson  stated today, referring to a state law concerning the weapons.

Mortenson said his office has been deluged by calls recently coming from local persons who ask whether shotguns and rifles must be registered. The queries have come, he believed, as a result of the accidental death of Barry Rothstein, 12, son of Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Rothstein, 939 Greenwood Ave., Friday. Barry was fatally injured by a pistol in the hand of Jack Wall, 11-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Elbert R. Wall of 952 Greenwood Ave., in the Wall kitchen. The gun had not been registered.

Weapons less than 30 inches long must be registered in the city police department provided they are owned by city residents, Chief Mortenson said. Washtenaw county residents must register such weapons at the office of Sheriff John L. Osborn.

If a person intends to carry a pistol on his person, he must apply for a permit to do so at the office of County Clerk Luella M. Smith.