Watch CBS News

LA City Council Tentatively OKs Mandatory Gun Locks, Digital Ammo Records

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — The Los Angeles City Council tentatively approved a pair of new gun-control measures Tuesday, including a proposal to require gun owners to store their firearms in locked containers or use trigger locks to prevent accidental firing of the weapon.

The City Council also voted 11-0 in favor of a proposed ordinance (PDF) that would require licensed ammunition dealers to transmit sales records to the city via an online form, doing away with what one councilman described as the city's "draconian" method of requesting physical records.

If given final approval by the council on second reading and signed by the mayor, the measure would make it a misdemeanor crime if retailers fail to comply with the reporting requirements.

San Francisco's gun storage ordinance has withstood a challenge in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, city officials said.

If both proposals are adopted, LA would become the first city in California to have two such measures on the books.

While ammunition dealers are currently required to keep their sale records for at least two years, they are not required to turn them in unless requested by police.

But Councilman Paul Krekorian, who helped author both measures, told KNX 1070 NEWSRADIO that a digital record could help save officers from having to parse through hundreds of pages of purchase records in hard copy when determining whether or not any of the buyers are prohibited from possessing ammunition.

"The LAPD actually has to go physically out to inspect those records and that's incredibly time consuming, incredibly expensive," said Krekorian.

Ammunition dealers would be able to fill out a form at LAPDonline.org to submit their ammunition records to the city.

(©2014 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 This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.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.)

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.