City Council Approves Measure Requiring Electronic Reports Of Ammunition Sales

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — A measure to require ammunition dealers in Los Angeles to electronically report their sales to the city was approved Tuesday by the City Council.

If signed by the mayor, the ordinance would require licensed ammunition dealers to transmit sales records to the city using an online form, doing away with what one councilman described last week as the city's "draconian" method of requesting physical records.

The measure would make it a misdemeanor crime if retailers fail to comply with the reporting requirements.

Currently, ammunition dealers are required to keep their sale records for at least two years, but do not have to turn them in unless requested by police.

The LAPD collects hundreds of pages of purchase records in hard copy, which officials say are time-consuming to search through.

Councilman Paul Krekorian, who helped author the measure, said the law would speed up the reporting of information, "that will allow our police officers to detect illegal purchases of ammunition from people who are prohibited from owning firearms.

Sacramento adopted a similar ammunition reporting law that has been upheld, according to city officials.

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