Los Angeles City Council to Consider New Gun Storage Law to Protect Children

The Los Angeles City Council is set to vote Tuesday on an ordinance that would require handguns to be stored in locked containers or disabled as a safeguard against the weapons falling into the hands of children.

The law going before the 15-member City Council would require handguns to be disabled, locked in a container, kept on the owner’s person or placed within that person’s reach.

The measure, authored by Councilman Paul Krekorian, is aimed at keeping firearms away from children or others who could unintentionally harm themselves or others with the weapons.

The storage law is one of two gun-related measures the city of Los Angeles has tackled in recent months. Earlier this summer, the city adopted a ban on possessing ammunition magazines holding more than 10 rounds. That law, which goes into effect next month, is currently being challenged in a lawsuit filed by a pair of law enforcement groups, more than two dozen county sheriffs, and the California Rifle and Pistol Association, an official state affiliate of the National Rifle Association.

City News Service