Supervisors back assault weapons ban
January 10, 2013
An LAPD gun buyback in December yielded more than 2,000 weapons.
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors this week signaled its support for legislation to reinstate the nation’s ban on assault weapons.
Supervisors also ordered a safety assessment of county facilities and a report on protocols for dealing with gun-related security breaches at each of them.
The actions come in the wake of the Newtown, Connecticut, shootings in which 20 children and six adults were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School by a heavily-armed gunman on December 14, 2012.
On Tuesday, Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky successfully urged the board to support, in concept, U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein’s proposed assault weapons bill, “or legislation that is substantively similar to it.”
The action came as an amendment to Board Chairman Mark Ridley-Thomas’ motion for the facilities review, which also included a request for a safety survey of local public schools and creation of a task force to identify law enforcement, public health and mental health strategies to reduce gun violence in the county. In addition, the board asked the county’s CEO to report back on the protocols for each county facility in the event of a security breach involving a firearm, and to recommend improvements to the training of contract security guards who protect those facilities.
“This is a call for a multi-pronged approach,” Ridley-Thomas said. “We need to look at our existing gun laws. We need to look at our health care system with an eye toward mental health. And everything really does need to be on the table. We can respect the 2nd Amendment, but we can also endeavor to save lives.”
To read Zev’s blog, “Taking aim at weapons,” click here.
Posted 1/10/12
To read Zev’s blog, “Taking aim at weapons,” click here.
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