L.A. City Council Approves Gun Lock, Ammo Reporting Laws

The Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously on Tuesday in favor of a gun control measure that requires gun owners to lock up their guns in containers or use trigger locks when their guns aren’t being used. A second ordinance that would require licensed ammo dealers to submit sales records to the city electronically also passed by a vote of 11-0.

The measures both need to be given a second reading for final approval by the council before being signed by the mayor, CBS Los Angeles reported.

As Guns.com notes, the ammo reporting ordinance require retailers to email ammo logs to the LAPD within five days of a sale. Right now, the ammo logs include the name, address and right thumbprint of the buyer, as well as the amount and type of ammo sold. The store itself currently maintains these logs on site in case the LAPD needs them. If the new measure becomes law, the police would have the database on file.

Meanwhile, the gun lock measure is similar to one recently adopted in San Francisco, Guns.com noted. Recently, a statewide referendum reduced gun theft penalties from a felony to a non-arrestable misdemeanor. This could mean that if you’re a gun owner who doesn’t properly lock up your gun in your home, either in a container or with a trigger lock, you could face stiffer penalties than a gun thief.

“As usual, California is on the cutting edge of gun control,” Second Amendment scholar and UCLA Law Professor Adam Winkler sarcastically told Guns.com.

Both ordinances were authored by L.A. City Councilman Paul Krekorian.