LA becomes 2nd major California city to ban large-capacity gun magazines

The Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously to ban the possession of large-capacity gun magazines, following San Francisco to become the second major city in California to take that step.  

The ordinance passed on Tuesday prohibits Los Angeles residents from possessing a handgun or rifle magazine that fits more than 10 rounds.

Residents would have 60 days after the law takes effect to remove, sell or transfer such magazines from city limits in compliance with state law, or to surrender them to the Los Angeles Police Department.

The law would take effect 30 days after Mayor Eric Garcetti signs it, a move that he was "eager" to make, he said in a statement.

The legislation comes amid increasingly urgent debate following recent mass shootings in the United States, including last week’s movie theater shooting in Lafayette, Louisiana, and an attack on a historic black church in Charleston, South Carolina, last month. 

The Los Angeles Times reported that the ban would not include police and military gun owners, licensed firearm dealers or people who obtained guns before 2000 that can only be used with large-capacity magazines.

Similar ordinances in San Francisco and Sunnyvale, California, have so far withstood legal challenges. Last year, a federal judge upheld a Colorado law banning magazines that hold more than 15 rounds.

"The step we're taking today is not a wild step," said council member Paul Krekorian, who sponsored the ordinance, at a rally before the vote. "People who want to defend homes don't need a 1,000-round drum magazine to do so."

Around 50 people who lost loved ones to gun violence attended the rally and vote. Many wore orange T-shirts and ribbons, a color that has become associated with campaigns against gun violence.

The ordinance’s opponents were represented by Chad Cheung, director of the Calguns Shooting Sports Association. "I think it's more of a people problem rather than a gun problem," said Cheung, who uses large-capacity gun magazines in target-shooting contests. 

"Nobody knows more about firearm safety than I do," he added, underscoring the notion that with the proper training, people could possess such magazines safely. 

Calguns is one group that has pending lawsuits against the San Francisco and Sunnyvale ordinances. Cheung said that the organization would discuss during their next board meeting whether to file a similar lawsuit in Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Times reported that the National Rifle Association (NRA) has also threatened to sue over the new law.

The Times quoted Councilman Krekorian before a crowd outside City Hall as saying: “If the NRA wants to sue us over this, bring it on.”

Next week the city council will take up a proposed ordinance requiring gun owners to lock their firearms at home, and will consider an amendment to the gun magazine ordinance that would exempt retired police officers.

Al Jazeera and Reuters