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L.A. Could Ban Possession of High-Capacity Ammo Magazines
Photo by Eugene Berman via Shutterstock
Gun control law and all its facets is a hot button issue around the nation these days, and Los Angeles is no exception. Tuesday City Councilman Paul Krekorian introduced a motion proposing a ban on the possession of high-capacity ammunition magazines in L.A.
In California, the sale of such high-capacity ammunition magazines is illegal, but possession is not.
"This gap in the law threatens public safety, because on the streets of Los Angeles, high-capacity magazines pose a daily threat to our citizens and police officers," Councilmember Krekorian said, according to a release issued by his office.
The motion references the recent mass shooting at Sandy Hook in Newtown, Connecticut, as well as a famous 1997 incident in what is now Krekorian's council district, namely the North Hollywood Bank of America shootout.
"While high-capacity magazines are not the cause of gun violence, they do make such tragic cases far more deadly," notes Krekorian.
Both those incidents had weapons in common, as the motion references:
Like in North Hollywood, the AR-15 was capable of shooting 45 rounds per minute and-was similar to weapons used at Columbine, Virginia Tech, Tucson, Aurora, and in other cities throughout the United States. Such weapons and their large capacity magazines are designed for one purpose only - to shoot and kill many people as quickly as possible.
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The motion asks that the City Attorney, the Chief Legislative Analyst and the Police Department explore if such a ban is possible in the City of Los Angeles, and will next be heard in the Public Safety Committee prior to being considered by the full City Council.
This post has been modified from the original to clarify the ban is concerned high-capacity ammunition magazines.
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