Zine Calls for Support of Federal Assault Weapons Ban

Los Angeles Councilmember Dennis Zine's office has issued the following statement regarding his introduction of a resolution Friday in support of a federal assault weapons ban:

At today’s meeting of the Los Angeles City Council, Councilman Dennis P. Zine introduced a Resolution urging the City of Los Angeles to support federal legislation that would reauthorize the Federal Assault Weapons Ban with the goal of reducing the availability of assault weapons in the United States.

The Federal Assault Weapons Ban (AWB) was signed into law by President Clinton in 1994 and prohibited the sale of 19 types of semi-automatic military-style guns, including AK-47s, for a period of ten years. Without the approval of Congress and the President, the ban expired in 2004, allowing these weapons to return to the streets where they have been used as tools of mass murder capable of killing dozens of people in minutes without the need to reload.

It has been reported that California Senator Dianne Feinstein and other members of Congress have proposed reauthorization of the Federal Assault Weapon ban for an additional ten years and to expand the definition of assault weapons.

“While I fully support the right of an individual to carry a gun for self-protection, there should be restrictions and limitations on the kinds of weapons we allow in our society, so today I am asking the City of Los Angeles to go on record in support of any federal legislation that bans assault weapons,” said Councilman Dennis P. Zine, a former LAPD Sergeant and current Reserve Officer. “As a member of law enforcement, I see no reason for these types of weapons to be in the hands of either law-abiding citizens or criminals because of their high firepower and ability to penetrate body armor which puts everyone at risk. I firmly believe that we must do all that we can to prevent gun violence in this country.”

Currently, California is one of a handful of states that has its own law banning assault weapons. SB 23, the 2000 California Assault Weapons Ban, bans the manufacture, sale, and possession of every weapon that fits the generic definition of assault weapons under the bill. SB 23 is stricter than the Federal AWB in that it lowers the threshold at which a weapon is considered an assault weapon. The California ban on assault weapons remains in place despite the lapse of the federal ban.

This Resolution was seconded by Council President Herb Wesson and was referred to the Rules, Elections, and Intergovernmental Relations Committee. To see a copy of the resolution, click here.