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December 20, 2008
Los Angeles City Council Passes Host of New Gun and Ammunition Laws
The Los Angeles City Council passes a host of new gun and ammunition laws.
VIDEO HERE form the Los Angeles News
The move is intended to help reduce the city's gun and gang violence, but an NRA lawyer says a lawsuit is likely.
By Maeve Reston
December 18, 2008
The Los Angeles City Council approved a package of gun control laws Wednesday, placing new requirements on ammunition sellers and banning the sale of military-style ammunition in the hopes of further reducing the city's gun and gang violence.
The measures ban the sale of .50-caliber ammunition, capable of penetrating a car's engine, and would require the city's ammunition vendors to be licensed, to sell ammunition face-to-face instead of over the Internet and require gun dealers to report a full accounting of their inventory twice a year to the Police Department.
The council passed laws prohibiting the installation of secret compartments for guns in cars and allowing the city to permanently seize vehicles used by certain gang members during a crime, which was proposed by City Atty. Rocky Delgadillo.
The council also approved an ordinance that would allow landlords to evict tenants who are convicted of illegally possessing weapons or ammunition within 1,000 feet of the rental property.
A lawyer for the National Rifle Assn. said his client probably would file suit to block some of the measures.
Los Angeles Police Chief William J. Bratton and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who helped develop the ordinances with Councilman Jack Weiss and other members, praised the package at a news conference before the vote.
"We use this to stop a vehicle," Bratton said, holding up a .50-caliber bullet longer and thicker than a finger. "Unless you are out trying to kill Godzilla, and I think the last time we saw Godzilla was in the 1950s, there is no need for this type of weapon" unless it is in the hands of the military or law enforcement, he said.
Villaraigosa dismissed questions about whether the ammunition restrictions would have a practical effect since buyers could simply purchase the bullets over the Internet or in cities where the laws do not apply.
"Part of what we're doing here is leading the way," Villaraigosa said, stating that the measures are another tool to fight gun violence and that he hoped other cities and President-elect Barack Obama's administration would follow suit. "This is the most far-reaching effort of any big city in the country. . . . This isn't about symbolism; it's about results."
The council approved the measures unanimously.
But C.D. Michel, a Long Beach attorney who represents the National Rifle Assn. and the California Rifle & Pistol Assn., said his clients were likely to sue over the new laws governing ammunition sales and vendors because they either conflict with or are duplicated by state law.
Michel, the law partner of city attorney candidate Carmen A. Trutanich, also questioned the effectiveness of the ammunition measures, noting that there are only a handful of gun vendors left in the city and buyers could go elsewhere.
"A lot of these don't really do what the sound bite would portray them as doing," said Michel, who accused Weiss of pushing the measures to get publicity for his own campaign for city attorney. "It's about trying to look like you're doing something when you're not really doing anything. . . . My clients will just just challenge the ones that are illegal in court."
Weiss, who introduced four of the ordinances and is chairman of the city's public safety committee, addressed the possibility of legal challenges by the NRA at the news conference.
"I think the message from everyone up here to the NRA is pretty simple: Make our day. We will fight you in court. We will win," Weiss said.
Wild Thing's comment......
NO. The new law IS intended to make it harder for law abiding citizens to defend themselves from the criminal element, and thus to become more dependent on the State and the police. There IS no other explanation. The lawmakers HAVE the data, they HAVE the statistics, and they STILL keep "tightening" gun laws. Their disingenuousness becomes more obvious to everyone with every new statute.
....Thank you Mark for sending this to me.
Posted by Wild Thing at December 20, 2008 04:55 AM
Comments
It didn't take them long to push the agenda, where is that long promised earthquake we were promised? I'm sick and tired of the Sodomites setting the national agenda. We can thank Daryl F. Gates, his "Special Order 40" and the goon squad mentality he created as the father of SWAT (Special Weapons And Tactics). This opened the door to further erosion of our civil rights nationwide that tromp all over the first, second and fourth amendments and they all started in that buttress of Queers and Steers, Los Angeles.
Posted by: Jack at December 20, 2008 06:35 AM
I guess LA is full of idiots! Don't they realize that when weapons are taken from law abiding citizens, the crime rate goes up? Take a look at Australia and other countries that have done this and only the criminals have the weapons and they will use them because they know the victim has no way to defend themselves.
My almost 19 year old daughter is scared to death of being told she "has" to join Obama's goon squad and she doesn't want to. My hubby joined the NRA.
Posted by: Lynn at December 20, 2008 07:01 AM
Here in Texas People are pushing for a bill authorizing "Open Carry" of Handguns. Governor Rick Perry has expressed his support for this. Governor Perry also signed into law a bill making Texas a "Castle Law" State back in '07.
Posted by: JohnE PFC U.S. Army at December 20, 2008 10:22 AM
The cities with the most restrictive gun laws also have the highest crime rates, ie. Los Angeles, Wash. DC, Chicago. They like to blame neighboring states for having lax gun laws, but the real reason is that criminals get their guns from each other, just like drugs.
LA needs to worry more about it's economic woes and it's subculture of illegal aliens.
Posted by: TomR at December 20, 2008 12:30 PM
Los Angeles has totally failed to control street gangs to the point where there are neighborhoods that even the police won't go to. So, what do they do to show that they are fighting crime? Pass feckless gun control laws to make it hard on peaceful law abiding citizens while the street gangs laugh in their faces.
Statistics and information about gangs, especially LA gangs.
http://www.streetgangs.com/
Black Gangs: LA Bloods: There are about 75 Blood gangs in LA County
Black Gangs:LA Crips: There are about 200 Crip gangs in 21 cities and places in LA County
LA Surenos: There are about 500 Hispanic gangs from the Valley, to East LA down to South LA
LA Asian: The fastest growing street gangs in LA County with about 20,000 members.
18th Street Gang: Considered by some to be the largest gang in Los Angeles.
FBI declares Mara Salvatrucha (MS 13) Gang the most dangerous in America
L.A. Gangs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvVbWHmznhg
Posted by: Les at December 20, 2008 02:23 PM
As per usual the crooks always have guns. The people who they take thme away from are the new victims. Trouble is, if you shoot back you get arrested. Should've waited for the cops to get there.
Their logic is just nuts. It makes no sense but when has the left ever made sense.
Posted by: Mark at December 20, 2008 02:31 PM
The same crooks they want to save from the needle; even though they probably brutally murdered several of the same law abiding citizens that are the only ones who obey these impotent laws. Ahnold raises the taxes and then there is cry for even stricter gun control legeslation in Commiefornia because of the people that were murdered and these laws are payed for with even more taxpayer funds thus digging an even deeper hole. Then the legislators raise their own friggin' salary. This, what I have just written, is what I like to call "The Problem."
That is why I love Texas. For the most part we have a have a pretty tight leash on our government.
Posted by: JohnE PFC U.S. Army at December 20, 2008 04:01 PM
"When governments fear the people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny. The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government." Thomas Jefferson
Posted by: JohnE PFC U.S. Army at December 20, 2008 04:18 PM
Never forget the botched CAL E FORN YA bank heist that took 100 cops and thousands of bullets to ... END IT ALL! The cops broke into a local gun dealer shop and acquired HIGH POWER munitions to kill this body armored thug! OJ walked in California too, eh?
Posted by: darthcrUSAderworldtour07 at December 20, 2008 05:12 PM
Jack, I have to laugh at this I never heard this before "Queers and Steers". Good one Jack.
I agree it sure didn't take them long.
Posted by: Wild Thing at December 20, 2008 06:55 PM
Lynn, I am not sure how the goon squad will work. I pray your daughter will be given a choice to say yes or no to it Lynn.
Posted by: Wild Thing at December 20, 2008 06:58 PM
JohnE PFC U.S. Army, thanks for sharing about Texas.
Florida where I am is still ok too,I am so glad.
Posted by: Wild Thing at December 20, 2008 07:08 PM
Tom, exactly you said just how it is and that is the problem like you said. I am so glad I don't live in a big city.
Posted by: Wild Thing at December 20, 2008 07:13 PM
Les, thank you for the information. To see how many there are really shows how they have let it get way past the point of even taking care of it as far as I can see. Unless they come down so hard on them like a war on them let's say they will never be able to stop them. The gangs will rule even more.
Thanks for the video and link too.
Posted by: Wild Thing at December 20, 2008 07:18 PM
Mark, yes the left has yet to ever make sense.
I swear the more the left takes over the more messed up everything becomes.
Posted by: Wild Thing at December 20, 2008 07:21 PM
JohnE PFC U.S. Army, Texas is a great State. I used to live there, (for 5 years) and I loved it.
Posted by: Wild Thing at December 20, 2008 07:26 PM
JohnE PFC U.S. Army , such a good quote, thank you so much.
Posted by: Wild Thing at December 20, 2008 07:29 PM
Darth, oh yessss I remember that bank heist and the bad guys have more powerful guns then the police did. Gosh that was really something.
Posted by: Wild Thing at December 20, 2008 07:33 PM
