1. The legal owner of a firearm, upon discovering that the firearm is lost or stolen, shall report the loss or theft within 36 hours to the chief law enforcement officer of the municipality in which the loss or theft occurred or, if the municipality does not have a local police force, to the Superintendent of State Police.
A person who violates the provisions of this section shall be liable to a civil penalty of not less than $500 for a first offense, and not less than $1,000 for any second or subsequent offense. The civil penalty shall be collected pursuant to the "Penalty Enforcement Law of 1999," P.L.1999, c.274 (C.2A:58-10 et seq.).