LA council approves measure to lock away handguns

Handgun owners in Los Angeles will be required to store their firearms in locked containers or disable the weapons with trigger locks under a law unanimously approved Tuesday by the City Council.

The council voted 14-0 in favor of the ordinance that also says owners must keep the guns on their person or within reach if they are not locked away or disabled.

The measure applies only to handguns and not to larger firearms such as rifles.

It was championed by Councilman Paul Krekorian and backed by activists who say it will help prevent children from harming themselves with guns.

Councilman Mitch Englander said before the vote that the intention was not to take rights away from responsible gun owners.

"It's really about having controlled access and securing that weapon," he said. "This is less about gun control, and simply more about controlling your gun."

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 affiliate of the National Rifle Association.

The magazine ordinance mirrors rules in Sunnyvale and San Francisco, which moved to further tighten its gun controls on Tuesday.

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors gave first approval to an ordinance requiring firearms dealers to make video recordings of all sales and submit weekly reports to police identifying buyers along with the type and amount of ammo sold. A second board vote of approval is expected.

Read more at http://bigstory.ap.org/article/1efb77bb54bd4ee8aadab08d689aa544/los-ange...