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I just saw this on the news. Anyone have any updates on this? If it has already been posted, sorry. 
L.A. council panel approves gun control measures
The proposals would make it easier for landlords to evict tenants who illegally use guns. Ammunition vendors would have to get permits. Sales of .50-caliber ammunition would also be banned.
By Maeve Reston
December 9, 2008
The Public Safety Committee of the Los Angeles City Council approved a package of gun control measures Monday that would make it easier for landlords to evict tenants with illegal firearms and ammunition, place new requirements on ammunition vendors and allow the city to permanently seize cars from some gang members.
The measures were introduced by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, and Councilmen Greig Smith and Jack Weiss, a candidate for city attorney, in May as part of the mayor's antigang initiative.
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Nearly 1,000 residents turn in guns in Compton
Los Angeles Police Chief William J. Bratton and City Atty. Rocky Delgadillo appeared at the news conference to show support for the efforts.
Delgadillo spoke in favor of the measure to seize vehicles used by gang members, which originated in his office according to his staff.
Under the eviction measure proposed by Weiss and council members Janice Hahn and Eric Garcetti, landlords could evict a tenant who illegally used guns or ammunition within 1,000 feet of a rental property.
The committee also approved measures requiring ammunition vendors to obtain permits from the Police Commission for sales and to conduct those sales face-to-face with buyers.
Under one of the proposed ordinances, the employees handling ammunition would also be subject to a background check.
Another measure creates a requirement for gun dealers to inspect their inventory twice a year -- reporting any lost or stolen weapons to the Police Department and providing an affidavit of the inspections.
The committee also approved an ordinance banning the sale of .50-caliber ammunition.
Rhonda Foster, whose 7-year-old son Evan was killed in Inglewood's Darby Park in 1997 by a gunman wielding an assault-style weapon, spoke in favor of the measure at the meeting.
No one spoke in opposition to the measures at Monday's committee meeting.
But Long Beach attorney C.D. Michel, the law partner of city attorney candidate Carmen "Nuch" Trutanich, wrote a letter to several of the committee members accusing Weiss of politicizing the issue to benefit his campaign for city attorney.
Michel, who wrote the letter on behalf of clients -- the National Rifle Assn. and the California Rifle and Pistol Assn. -- said the majority of the measures were "costly, naive and ineffective policy" -- arguing that a number of the proposals were likely to face legal challenge and that others were redundant because they address areas already covered by state law.
Weiss noted that lawyers for the city attorney believe the ordinances are legally defensible.
"I've prosecuted gun crimes as a federal prosecutor, and I'm proud that I've worked on gun legislation my entire time in the City Council. It's a sick industry, and this is the type of charge we expect from them," he said. .
Reston is a Times staff writer.
maeve.reston@latimes.com
The proposals would make it easier for landlords to evict tenants who illegally use guns. Ammunition vendors would have to get permits. Sales of .50-caliber ammunition would also be banned.
By Maeve Reston
December 9, 2008
The Public Safety Committee of the Los Angeles City Council approved a package of gun control measures Monday that would make it easier for landlords to evict tenants with illegal firearms and ammunition, place new requirements on ammunition vendors and allow the city to permanently seize cars from some gang members.
The measures were introduced by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, and Councilmen Greig Smith and Jack Weiss, a candidate for city attorney, in May as part of the mayor's antigang initiative.
*
Nearly 1,000 residents turn in guns in Compton
Los Angeles Police Chief William J. Bratton and City Atty. Rocky Delgadillo appeared at the news conference to show support for the efforts.
Delgadillo spoke in favor of the measure to seize vehicles used by gang members, which originated in his office according to his staff.
Under the eviction measure proposed by Weiss and council members Janice Hahn and Eric Garcetti, landlords could evict a tenant who illegally used guns or ammunition within 1,000 feet of a rental property.
The committee also approved measures requiring ammunition vendors to obtain permits from the Police Commission for sales and to conduct those sales face-to-face with buyers.
Under one of the proposed ordinances, the employees handling ammunition would also be subject to a background check.
Another measure creates a requirement for gun dealers to inspect their inventory twice a year -- reporting any lost or stolen weapons to the Police Department and providing an affidavit of the inspections.
The committee also approved an ordinance banning the sale of .50-caliber ammunition.
Rhonda Foster, whose 7-year-old son Evan was killed in Inglewood's Darby Park in 1997 by a gunman wielding an assault-style weapon, spoke in favor of the measure at the meeting.
No one spoke in opposition to the measures at Monday's committee meeting.
But Long Beach attorney C.D. Michel, the law partner of city attorney candidate Carmen "Nuch" Trutanich, wrote a letter to several of the committee members accusing Weiss of politicizing the issue to benefit his campaign for city attorney.
Michel, who wrote the letter on behalf of clients -- the National Rifle Assn. and the California Rifle and Pistol Assn. -- said the majority of the measures were "costly, naive and ineffective policy" -- arguing that a number of the proposals were likely to face legal challenge and that others were redundant because they address areas already covered by state law.
Weiss noted that lawyers for the city attorney believe the ordinances are legally defensible.
"I've prosecuted gun crimes as a federal prosecutor, and I'm proud that I've worked on gun legislation my entire time in the City Council. It's a sick industry, and this is the type of charge we expect from them," he said. .
Reston is a Times staff writer.
maeve.reston@latimes.com
UPDATE****
L.A. council tightens gun, ammunition laws
They are intended to help reduce the city's gun and gang violence, but a lawyer for the National Rifle Assn. says his client probably would file suit to block some of the measures.
7:07 PM PST, December 17, 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 destroying a car's motor, and would require the city's ammunition vendors to be licensed, to sell their products face-to-face instead of over the Internet and 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 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 gold, .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. We'll 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.
Weiss has criticized Trutanich's associations with the NRA, which is likely to be an issue in the city attorney's race.
After several council members received letters from Michel on letterhead of the Trutanich-Michel firm challenging the city's gun and ammunition ordinances, Weiss called on his opponent to "fire the NRA as a client or quit the race for city attorney."
Weiss' campaign also circulated a news article to reporters in which Trutanich refers to the NRA as his client.
But when Weiss raised the issue in early December, Trutanich released a statement stating that the NRA is not his client, he is not a member of the organization and he disagrees with many of the NRA's positions. His campaign manager said he was misquoted when he referred to the NRA as a client in the August news article.
L.A. council tightens gun, ammunition laws
They are intended to help reduce the city's gun and gang violence, but a lawyer for the National Rifle Assn. says his client probably would file suit to block some of the measures.
7:07 PM PST, December 17, 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 destroying a car's motor, and would require the city's ammunition vendors to be licensed, to sell their products face-to-face instead of over the Internet and 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 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 gold, .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. We'll 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.
Weiss has criticized Trutanich's associations with the NRA, which is likely to be an issue in the city attorney's race.
After several council members received letters from Michel on letterhead of the Trutanich-Michel firm challenging the city's gun and ammunition ordinances, Weiss called on his opponent to "fire the NRA as a client or quit the race for city attorney."
Weiss' campaign also circulated a news article to reporters in which Trutanich refers to the NRA as his client.
But when Weiss raised the issue in early December, Trutanich released a statement stating that the NRA is not his client, he is not a member of the organization and he disagrees with many of the NRA's positions. His campaign manager said he was misquoted when he referred to the NRA as a client in the August news article.
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