City Manager and the City Attorney Will Make an Ordinance Within Two Months
By Zach Armstrong
The Santa Monica City Council has advanced a proposal by Councilmember Caroline Torosis to restrict the sale of guns and create new regulations on ownership.
As part of the proposal, the council will direct the City Manager and the City Attorney to make an ordinance within two months on restricting gun sales in Santa Monica with more gun owner responsibilities.
While the city already has stringent firearm laws, there are still incidents of gun violence in Santa Monica. In 2013, five people were killed after a gunman opened fire at Santa Monica College. The City already has rules in place that requires gun dealers to obtain a local license, prohibits firearm sales at home businesses and requires dealers to occasionally report their inventories to law enforcement.
The proposal pointed out that surrounding cities have adopted additional restrictions, such as San Jose which became the first U.S. city to require gun owners to pay an annual fee and carry liability insurance
“In Santa Monica, we have yet to restrict gun dealers from operating near sensitive areas where children or families are congregating, we do not require dealers to videotape sales, we do not prohibit unaccompanied minors from entering gun stores, and we do not require regular police inspections of gun dealer premises,” the proposal read. “Moreover, Santa Monica has not adopted safe storage laws to require safe storage in the home and in vehicles, nor do we require loss and theft reporting.”
