Los Angeles city leaders Tuesday banned the possession of large-capacity gun magazines, joining a handful of other cities and states that have outlawed the devices.
The ordinance, seen as an effort to close a state loophole, bans ownership of large-capacity magazines containing more than 10 rounds of ammunition. Although California outlaws the sale and manufacturing of such magazines, residents can possess the magazines in most of the state.
Juliet Leftwich, legal director of San Francisco’s Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, called Tuesday’s vote a “big deal.”
“Los Angeles has been a leader on gun issues,” Leftwich said.
Los Angeles Councilman Paul Krekorian proposed the law one month after the December 2012 mass shooting in Newtown, Conn., that killed 20 schoolchildren and six adults.
Joined by gun-safety advocates at a rally Tuesday outside Los Angeles City Hall, Krekorian cited several local incidents where semi-automatic weapons were used, including the 1999 Los Angeles Jewish Community Center and 2013 Santa Monica College shootings.
“People with ill intent who have magazines like that at their disposal can do horrendous, horrendous things,” Krekorian said.
Parents Ruett and Rhonda Foster told reporters one of their sons was killed and another injured in 1997 after a gunman with an assault weapon opened fire on their car in Inglewood, unloading 75 rounds.
“We can’t keep our heads in the sand,” said Ruett Foster, calling for tougher national gun laws.
With the new law, Los Angeles joins New Jersey, New York, Hawaii and Washington, D.C., which ban possession of high-capacity magazines. San Francisco and Sunnyvale, in Santa Clara County, also outlaw the magazines, and their laws have drawn legal challenges from the National Rifle Association.
Anna Barvir, an attorney with Long Beach-based Michel & Associates, which represents the NRA, argues state law supersedes the city’s law, and that banning the magazine “is a clear violation of the Second Amendment.”
“We are considering our options for challenging (L.A.’s) ban on magazines,” Barvir said Tuesday afternoon.
Chad Cheung, a member of the gun advocacy group Calguns, also spoke out against the law, arguing the high-capacity magazines aren’t the issue.
“Gun violence is a problem, but it’s more of a people problem,” Cheung said.
While the council voted unanimously to back the law, a proposed amendment introduced by Councilman Mitch Englander to exempt retired peace officers with a weapons permit from the ordinance divided lawmakers. City Council members Paul Koretz, Nury Martinez, Marqueece Harris-Dawson and David Ryu voted against the exemption, which was requested by the police union.
“As a reserve Los Angeles police officer, I also understand the heightened risk that law enforcement officers face both on the job and after decades of service,” Englander said in a statement.
The proposed exemption will return to the City Council next week for consideration.
Violation of the ordinance carries misdemeanor charges, and the law will be enforced by the Los Angeles Police Department. Krekorian said he doesn’t believe that “law enforcement is going to go out searching for these things,” but said the LAPD should be able to crack down on magazines if officers encounter them.
Magazine owners can either surrender the magazines, lawfully sell or transfer it, or remove it from the city, Krekorian’s office said.
The LAPD declined to comment on the law.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said Tuesday he will sign the ordinance.
UPDATE: A previous version of this story incorrectly referred to magazines as ammunition.
