Los Angeles city council has voted unanimously to ban the possession of large-capacity gun magazines, following San Francisco to become the second major city in California to take that step.
The law prohibits Los Angeles residents from possessing a handgun or rifle magazine that fits more than 10 rounds.
When the new law takes effect, residents will have 60 days to remove, sell or transfer such magazines from city limits in compliance with state law, or surrender them to the Los Angeles police department.
The legislation comes on the heels of mass shootings in the US, including a movie theatre shooting in Lafayette, Louisiana, last week in which two women were killed by a lone gunman who then took his own life.
Similar laws in San Francisco and Sunnyvale, California, have so far withstood legal challenges and last year a federal judge upheld a Colorado law banning magazines that hold more than 15 rounds.
“The step we’re taking today is not a wild step,” said a council member, Paul Krekorian, who sponsored the ordinance at a rally before the vote. “People who want to defend homes don’t need a 1,000-round drum magazine to do so.”
About 50 people who have lost loved ones to gun violence attended the rally and vote, many wearing orange T-shirts and ribbons.
Those opposed to the law were represented by Chad Cheung, from the Calguns Shooting Sports Association. “It’s more of a people problem than a gun problem,” said Cheung, who uses large-capacity gun magazines in shooting contests.
“Nobody knows more about firearm safety than I do,” he added, underscoring the notion that, with the proper training, people could possess such magazines safely.
Calguns is one group that has pending lawsuits against the San Francisco and Sunnyvale ordinances. Cheung said the organisation would consider whether to file a similar lawsuit in Los Angeles
No comments:
Post a Comment