In an effort to reduce gun crimes, Montgomery County will now be inspecting local gun stores. It is the first county in the state to do so, writes Vinny Vella for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

The 92 gun stores in the county will now be under stricter scrutiny to ensure that are complying with all state and federal laws. This includes submitting sales records to state police and making sure their records match their inventory.

Montgomery County Sheriff Sean Kilkenny said that if a gun store doesn’t pass the inspection, the owners will have the chance to fix any issues and schedule a follow-up inspection. If they fail to do this, the store’s license will be revoked.

Letters were sent out to gun owners on Monday from the sheriff’s office notifying them that they need to schedule their first visit.

“Our inspections are not intended to infringe upon the privacy rights of firearms dealers or their customers,” Kilkenny said. “Instead, they are conducted solely to ensure that firearms dealers are operating in compliance with existing state standards and regulations and are properly handling the sale and transfer of firearms.”

Read more about the new gun store inspections in Montgomery County in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

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Check out CBS Philadelphia’s report on the county’s effort to inspect gun stores.