NYC bill would put NYPD gun offender database online

A City Council bill would give New Yorkers the power to see whether their next-door neighbor ever had a criminal past with a gun.

City Councilman Peter Vallone is set to introduce legislation Thursday that would put the NYPD's gun offender registry online. The database keeps track of those convicted of certain gun crimes.

Vallone, who chairs the city's public safety committee and is running for Queens borough president, also is introducing another bill that would call on the state to create its own version of the registry.

"We cannot allow these violent offenders to slip through the cracks upon their release from prison, and these bills will keep residents and law enforcement officers across the state well aware of their locations," he said in a statement.

A spokeswoman said Mayor Michael Bloomberg would review the bill, which has support from several city and state leaders.

"Our city's gun offender registry is a powerful tool for law enforcement, but we cannot comment until we see the bill." she said in a statement.

The registry, which is now accessible only to the NYPD, mandates that convicts register their address with the police and update their information every six months for the first four years after they are released from prison.

Failure to comply in keeping their data current results in jail time.