Krekorian’s Law Requires Responsible Gun Owners to Act Responsibly
LOS ANGELES, CA — Late last month, the Los Angeles City Council unanimously approved (14-0) a law, written and championed by Councilmember Paul Krekorian, that will require all handgun owners in Los Angeles to store their handguns in a locked container or disable them with a trigger lock when kept at home. The only time a handgun need not be stored or locked is when it is carried on the body of or within the close proximity and control of the owner or another lawfully authorized person.
LA’s policy goes further than California state law, which requires that locks be sold with handguns, but fails to require gun owners to use them. Los Angeles will become the largest city in California to pass a safe storage requirement.
“The law we voted on today will cement LA as the nation’s leading voice in the fight to keep children and families safe from gun violence,” said Councilmember Krekorian. “The City Council unanimously approved the strongest, most significant and most robust law in the state that requires responsible gun owners to act responsibly. I hope that other cities, states and Congress will follow our lead.”
Krekorian continued: “We had a broad degree of support for this measure because it’s just common sense. People in Los Angeles and throughout the country understand that common-sense steps like this are necessary to prevent tragedies that we see all too often. It’s a sad state of affairs that it’s more dangerous to be a preschooler than a police officer in this country.”
This summer, City Council voted on another one of Krekorian’s gun safety measures, when it voted to outlaw the possession of high-capacity ammunition magazines (more than 10 rounds) within city limits, making national headlines by becoming the largest city in CA to do so.
Procedural note: The law will go into effect 30 calendar days after Mayor Garcetti signs it.
Link to the ordinance: http://clkrep.lacity.org/onlinedocs/2014/14-1553_misc_10-22-2015.pdf
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Los Angeles City Councilmember Paul Krekorian, chairman of the Budget and Finance Committee, represents Council District 2, which includes the east San Fernando Valley. His website is cd2.lacity.org, where you can sign up for news updates. Visit him on Twitter (@PaulKrekorian) or Facebook.