Artful
10-28-2015, 06:11 PM
http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2015/10/27/la-city-council-to-vote-on-motion-to-safely-store-handguns-within-homes/
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — The Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously in favor Tuesday to require firearms to be stored safely within homes.
Under the motion, handguns will need to be disabled, locked in a container and kept on the owner’s person or placed within that person’s reach.
The measure (PDF) (http://clkrep.lacity.org/onlinedocs/2014/14-1553_misc_10-22-2015.pdf), which is backed by Councilman Paul Krekorian, aims to keep weapons away from children or others who could unintentionally harm themselves.
Krekorian told KNX 1070 police will only be able to enforce the law under specific circumstances, such as “when the police have an interaction with a family for example that’s engaged in domestic violence, or when a county work checks on home in a child welfare check.”
Council members voted on the ordinance at 10 a.m. in downtown Los Angeles.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-gun-storage-20151027-story.html
L.A. to require that stored handguns be locked up or disabled
Los Angeles lawmakers voted unanimously Tuesday to pass a new law requiring Angelenos to lock up or disable their handguns at home if they aren’t close at hand.
In an impassioned speech before the vote, City Councilman Paul Krekorian argued that the new rules would help prevent deadly accidents and youth suicides by stopping the guns from falling into the hands of curious children or despondent teenagers. Krekorian said more preschoolers are killed with guns annually than police officers.
“It’s unacceptable to live in a country where it’s more dangerous to be a preschooler than to be a police officer — and we can do something about that today,” Krekorian said.
Under the new law, Angelenos who violate the storage requirements could face a misdemeanor charge. Gun rights activists have warned they may sue over the rules, arguing that city lawmakers shouldn’t decide how people choose to protect themselves in their homes.
L.A. is already being sued over another gun control measure passed this year — a ban on firearm magazines that hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition — on the grounds that it is preempted by state law. Attorneys for the National Rifle Assn. have raised similar arguments about the storage law.
The Council had already voted in favor of the gun storage rules earlier this year, but city lawyers still had to hammer out the final wording of the ordinance.
Under the law, handguns must be locked up or disabled with a trigger lock unless they are “within close enough proximity and control” that the owner or another legally authorized user can readily retrieve and use them "as if carried on the person."
That wording was added partly to reassure the police union, which had raised concerns about whether retired officers would be able to quickly access their guns and pushed for an exemption.
It is unclear exactly what the rules could mean in specific situations — for instance, whether someone could sleep with a loaded gun on his or her nightstand.
The question of whether someone was in control “would be a case by case, fact-based determination made by a court,” said Rob Wilcox, a spokesman for City Atty. Mike Feuer.
Krekorian said police won’t be going door-to-door to examine how guns are stored but could encounter violations while reacting to other calls or in the aftermath of a shooting.
Before the Tuesday meeting, a Krekorian aide emailed gun control activists saying that Councilman Mitch Englander's office had sought to delay the vote on the gun storage rules. Englander said that wasn't true and reiterated that he firmly believed the law was necessary.
“This is less about gun control and simply more about controlling your gun,” Englander said before the council voted 14-to-0 for the new law. “It’s really that simple.” Councilman Gil Cedillo was absent.
Krekorian and Englander stood side by side at a news conference after the vote, where Englander attributed the talk of a delay to "a miscommunication." Mayor Eric Garcetti plans to sign the law, which would go into effect 30 days after he does so.
from the PDF link in the first story
WHEREAS, firearm injuries have a significant public health impact both nationally and locally;
WHEREAS, between 1999 and 2010, over 8,300 unintentional shooting deaths were reported in the United States, including 2,383 children and young people under the age of 21;
WHEREAS, on the average, over 16,000 people in the United States are treated each year in hospital emergency rooms for unintentional gunshot wounds;
WHEREAS, in 2010, firearms were used in 19,392 suicides in the United States, constituting almost 62 percent of all gun deaths;
WHEREAS, over 50 percent of suicides are committed with a firearm; WHEREAS, approximately 49 gun suicides were committed each day for the years 2005-2010;
WHEREAS, firearms were used in 44 percent of suicide deaths among persons under age 25 in 2010;
WHEREAS, more than 75 percent of guns used in suicide attempts and unintentional injuries of people under 19 years of age were stored in the residence of the victim, a relative, or a friend;
WHEREAS, a 1991 study found that 8 percent of accidental shooting deaths resulted from guns fired by children under the age of six;
WHEREAS, having a loaded or unlocked gun in the home is associated with an increased risk of gun-related injury and death;
WHEREAS, in 2013, more than five children under the age of 12 were killed each month by guns that were improperly stored and secured at the home of a family member or friend;
WHEREAS, children are particularly at risk of injury and death, or causing injury and death, when they can access guns in their own homes or homes that they visit;
WHEREAS, a 2005 study found that an estimated 1.69 million children age 18 and under are living in households with loaded and unlocked firearms. Many young children, including children as young as three years old, are strong enough to fire handguns;
WHEREAS, more than two thirds of school shooters obtained their guns from their own home or that of a relative;
WHEREAS, quick access to loaded firearms heightens the risk that a young person’s impulsive decision to commit suicide will be carried out without reflection or seeking help, and that the attempt will be fatal. One third of youths who died by suicide had faced a crisis within the previous 24 hours. Among people who nearly died in a
suicide attempt, almost a quarter indicated that fewer than five minutes had passed between deciding on suicide and making the attempt. While fewer than 10 percent of suicide attempts by other means are fatal, at least 85 percent of firearm suicide attempts end in death;
WHEREAS, guns kept in the home are more likely to be involved in an unintentional shooting, criminal assault, or used in suicides and against family and friends rather than in self-defense;
WHEREAS, only one in ten firearm homicides in the shooter’s home is considered justified. Of every ten firearm homicide victims killed at the shooter’s residence, six were intimate partners or family members of the shooter, three were friends or acquaintances of the shooter, and only one was a stranger to the shooter;
WHEREAS, applying trigger locks or using lockboxes when storing firearms in the home reduces the risk of firearm injury and death;
WHEREAS, keeping a firearm locked when it is not being carried ensures that it cannot be accessed and used by others without the owners’ knowledge or permission.
This simple measure significantly decreases the risk that the gun will be used to commit suicide, homicide or inflict injury, whether intentionally or unintentionally;
WHEREAS, safe storage measures have a demonstrated protective effect in homes with children and teenagers where guns are stored;
WHEREAS, there is a wide consensus among medical professionals, police chiefs, gun control advocates and gun rights groups that applying trigger locks or using lockboxes to store unsupervised guns in the home promotes health and safety;
WHEREAS, the International Association of Chiefs of Police recommends that state and local governments mandate safe storage of firearms;
WHEREAS, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that, if families must have firearms in their homes, the firearms should be stored locked, unloaded and separate from locked ammunition;
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — The Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously in favor Tuesday to require firearms to be stored safely within homes.
Under the motion, handguns will need to be disabled, locked in a container and kept on the owner’s person or placed within that person’s reach.
The measure (PDF) (http://clkrep.lacity.org/onlinedocs/2014/14-1553_misc_10-22-2015.pdf), which is backed by Councilman Paul Krekorian, aims to keep weapons away from children or others who could unintentionally harm themselves.
Krekorian told KNX 1070 police will only be able to enforce the law under specific circumstances, such as “when the police have an interaction with a family for example that’s engaged in domestic violence, or when a county work checks on home in a child welfare check.”
Council members voted on the ordinance at 10 a.m. in downtown Los Angeles.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-gun-storage-20151027-story.html
L.A. to require that stored handguns be locked up or disabled
Los Angeles lawmakers voted unanimously Tuesday to pass a new law requiring Angelenos to lock up or disable their handguns at home if they aren’t close at hand.
In an impassioned speech before the vote, City Councilman Paul Krekorian argued that the new rules would help prevent deadly accidents and youth suicides by stopping the guns from falling into the hands of curious children or despondent teenagers. Krekorian said more preschoolers are killed with guns annually than police officers.
“It’s unacceptable to live in a country where it’s more dangerous to be a preschooler than to be a police officer — and we can do something about that today,” Krekorian said.
Under the new law, Angelenos who violate the storage requirements could face a misdemeanor charge. Gun rights activists have warned they may sue over the rules, arguing that city lawmakers shouldn’t decide how people choose to protect themselves in their homes.
L.A. is already being sued over another gun control measure passed this year — a ban on firearm magazines that hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition — on the grounds that it is preempted by state law. Attorneys for the National Rifle Assn. have raised similar arguments about the storage law.
The Council had already voted in favor of the gun storage rules earlier this year, but city lawyers still had to hammer out the final wording of the ordinance.
Under the law, handguns must be locked up or disabled with a trigger lock unless they are “within close enough proximity and control” that the owner or another legally authorized user can readily retrieve and use them "as if carried on the person."
That wording was added partly to reassure the police union, which had raised concerns about whether retired officers would be able to quickly access their guns and pushed for an exemption.
It is unclear exactly what the rules could mean in specific situations — for instance, whether someone could sleep with a loaded gun on his or her nightstand.
The question of whether someone was in control “would be a case by case, fact-based determination made by a court,” said Rob Wilcox, a spokesman for City Atty. Mike Feuer.
Krekorian said police won’t be going door-to-door to examine how guns are stored but could encounter violations while reacting to other calls or in the aftermath of a shooting.
Before the Tuesday meeting, a Krekorian aide emailed gun control activists saying that Councilman Mitch Englander's office had sought to delay the vote on the gun storage rules. Englander said that wasn't true and reiterated that he firmly believed the law was necessary.
“This is less about gun control and simply more about controlling your gun,” Englander said before the council voted 14-to-0 for the new law. “It’s really that simple.” Councilman Gil Cedillo was absent.
Krekorian and Englander stood side by side at a news conference after the vote, where Englander attributed the talk of a delay to "a miscommunication." Mayor Eric Garcetti plans to sign the law, which would go into effect 30 days after he does so.
from the PDF link in the first story
WHEREAS, firearm injuries have a significant public health impact both nationally and locally;
WHEREAS, between 1999 and 2010, over 8,300 unintentional shooting deaths were reported in the United States, including 2,383 children and young people under the age of 21;
WHEREAS, on the average, over 16,000 people in the United States are treated each year in hospital emergency rooms for unintentional gunshot wounds;
WHEREAS, in 2010, firearms were used in 19,392 suicides in the United States, constituting almost 62 percent of all gun deaths;
WHEREAS, over 50 percent of suicides are committed with a firearm; WHEREAS, approximately 49 gun suicides were committed each day for the years 2005-2010;
WHEREAS, firearms were used in 44 percent of suicide deaths among persons under age 25 in 2010;
WHEREAS, more than 75 percent of guns used in suicide attempts and unintentional injuries of people under 19 years of age were stored in the residence of the victim, a relative, or a friend;
WHEREAS, a 1991 study found that 8 percent of accidental shooting deaths resulted from guns fired by children under the age of six;
WHEREAS, having a loaded or unlocked gun in the home is associated with an increased risk of gun-related injury and death;
WHEREAS, in 2013, more than five children under the age of 12 were killed each month by guns that were improperly stored and secured at the home of a family member or friend;
WHEREAS, children are particularly at risk of injury and death, or causing injury and death, when they can access guns in their own homes or homes that they visit;
WHEREAS, a 2005 study found that an estimated 1.69 million children age 18 and under are living in households with loaded and unlocked firearms. Many young children, including children as young as three years old, are strong enough to fire handguns;
WHEREAS, more than two thirds of school shooters obtained their guns from their own home or that of a relative;
WHEREAS, quick access to loaded firearms heightens the risk that a young person’s impulsive decision to commit suicide will be carried out without reflection or seeking help, and that the attempt will be fatal. One third of youths who died by suicide had faced a crisis within the previous 24 hours. Among people who nearly died in a
suicide attempt, almost a quarter indicated that fewer than five minutes had passed between deciding on suicide and making the attempt. While fewer than 10 percent of suicide attempts by other means are fatal, at least 85 percent of firearm suicide attempts end in death;
WHEREAS, guns kept in the home are more likely to be involved in an unintentional shooting, criminal assault, or used in suicides and against family and friends rather than in self-defense;
WHEREAS, only one in ten firearm homicides in the shooter’s home is considered justified. Of every ten firearm homicide victims killed at the shooter’s residence, six were intimate partners or family members of the shooter, three were friends or acquaintances of the shooter, and only one was a stranger to the shooter;
WHEREAS, applying trigger locks or using lockboxes when storing firearms in the home reduces the risk of firearm injury and death;
WHEREAS, keeping a firearm locked when it is not being carried ensures that it cannot be accessed and used by others without the owners’ knowledge or permission.
This simple measure significantly decreases the risk that the gun will be used to commit suicide, homicide or inflict injury, whether intentionally or unintentionally;
WHEREAS, safe storage measures have a demonstrated protective effect in homes with children and teenagers where guns are stored;
WHEREAS, there is a wide consensus among medical professionals, police chiefs, gun control advocates and gun rights groups that applying trigger locks or using lockboxes to store unsupervised guns in the home promotes health and safety;
WHEREAS, the International Association of Chiefs of Police recommends that state and local governments mandate safe storage of firearms;
WHEREAS, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that, if families must have firearms in their homes, the firearms should be stored locked, unloaded and separate from locked ammunition;