LA City Council OKs Ban On High-Capacity Gun Magazines
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — The Los Angeles City Council approved a ban Tuesday on the possession of "high-capacity" gun magazines with more than 10 rounds.
The City Council voted 12-0 in favor of the measure, which addresses a loophole in a statewide law that prohibits the sale, manufacture and importing, but not the possession of such magazines.
Under the ordinance, anyone who owns these high-capacity gun magazines will need to take them out of the city or turn them over to the Los Angeles Police Department to be destroyed.
Supporters of the ban rallied outside of City Hall prior to the vote.
The vote comes in response to a series of mass shootings that have taken place across the nation.
The ordinance specifically addresses a shooting that took place at an L.A. Jewish Community Center in 1999. During the incident, a gunman fired more than 70 bullets, wounding more than five people. He then proceeded to shoot and kill a nearby postal worker.
"The state of California acted to ban the sale of these magazines long ago," said L.A. City Councilman Paul Krekorian. "You cannot sell, you cannot manufacture, you cannot import these magazines. But incongruously, amazingly, the state did not do anything to act to prohibit possession of these magazines."
"So today, you can get on the Internet, and within about three minutes, you can find any number of sellers who will ship you one of those hundred-round drum magazines," Krekorian added.
In a statement released to CBS2/KCAL9, National Rifle Association (NRA) spokeswoman Amy Hunter said: "Instead of passing new gun bans that criminals ignore and prosecutors neglect — while leaving good, law-abiding citizens disarmed — maybe Los Angeles should improve its shameful record as one of the worst cities in the U.S.when it comes to enforcing existing federal gun laws against criminals."
The NRA statement referenced a March 2013 report in U.S. News that found the districts that include Chicago, Los Angeles and New York City ranked last in terms of federal gun law enforcement in 2012.
The council also instructed the city attorney to draft an amendment to the new ordinance which would exempt retired police officers with concealed weapons permits from the new law. That issue is set to be put to a separate vote in August.
(©2015 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)
