Following rash of shootings, supervisors weigh gun rules

In the wake of the recent rash of fatal mass shootings throughout the state, members of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors will consider proposed new laws tomorrow that would tighten regulation of sales and ownership of guns in unincorporated areas.

“Too many people have lost loved ones to gun violence in Los Angeles County,” according to the motion by Supervisors Janice Hahn and Hilda Solis. “We must be united in our fight against gun violence and enhancing local regulations is an important part of that fight.”

The motion states that firearms are the leading cause of death among children and teens in the United States. It also notes the Jan. 21 slaying of 11 people in a shooting at a Monterey Park dance studio, the deadliest mass shooting in county history.

The motion calls for development of ordinances that would forbid sales of handguns or ammunition of .50 caliber or more and the carrying of firearms except by sworn officers on county property, such as parks. People under 21 would not be allowed into gun showrooms, and dealers would be required to have video cameras installed to tape all store transactions. It would further require “buffer zones” between gun stores and “sensitive areas” such as schools.

It would also require gun vendors to keep a ledger of local gun sales along with fingerprints of purchasers and that all privately owned firearms be kept under lock and key.

The board last year backed the measures, directing its attorneys to draft the ordinances and bring them back for a vote.

Solis and Hahn also proposed that the board support the bid by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California, to reestablish the 10-year national assault rifle ban that recently expired. The law would forbid the sale of such firearms and high capacity magazines to those under 21.

Sam Paredes, executive director of the California Gunowners' Association, said he was skeptical the Feinstein measure would pass.