The National Rifle Association fired back in its lawsuit against the city of Pittsburgh yesterday, saying the city's legal argument that gun rights end when the weapon is lost or stolen is flawed.

State pre-emption of local laws on the ownership, possession or transfer of firearms doesn't end when the weapon is lost, said Meghan Jones-Rolla, one of the lawyers for the NRA who authored a response to the city's objections to the organization's lawsuit. "You [as a gun owner] still have an interest in that gun," she said. Otherwise, she added, "a thief or someone who finds the item has greater procedural rights than does the true owner."

The NRA wants the court to overturn a city ordinance requiring gun owners to report the loss or theft of a firearm within 24 hours of becoming aware that it is missing. The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence is lending legal muscle to the city.

Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge R. Stanton Wettick Jr. is set to hear initial arguments on July 8.

Commonwealth Court yesterday ruled that two Philadelphia gun control ordinances -- banning assault weapons, and barring one person from buying guns for another -- violate state law, but it found that the NRA lacked standing to challenge other ordinances, including one on lost and stolen guns.