Gun Ban Spurs Sales Outside L.A.

Several gun dealers in Ventura County reported brisk sales of assault weapons Wednesday, the first day after the Los Angeles City Council outlawed the sale and possession of the guns.

Officials in Burbank, meanwhile, said they were joining the ranks of California municipalities--San Fernando, Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks among them--considering bans on guns similar to the AK-47 assault rifle that a disturbed gunman used to kill five children at a Stockton schoolyard last month.

In snowy Santa Clarita and Fillmore, gun sales Wednesday were not as brisk as the weather, which stranded thousands of residents at home. But gun dealers there said sales of assault weapons have risen dramatically since lawmakers suggested banning the military-style, rapid-firing rifles.

Where the weather was less formidable, some people tried to be first in line at gun stores.

“They were lined up at the door this morning waiting for us to open,” said Steve Cotter, whose wife, Judy, owns Hilldale Gun Sales in Simi Valley. By mid-afternoon, he said, the shop had sold about 12 of the weapons, which range in price from $320 to $800.

“We have people who otherwise wouldn’t be interested coming in here because they feel their constitutional rights are being abridged by the ban,” Steve Cotter said.

The Los Angeles ordinance, passed 12 to 0 by the City Council on Tuesday, outlaws the sale and possession of assault rifles such as the AK-47, AR-15 and Uzi. The law goes into effect today.

Cotter said he plans to testify when the Simi Valley City Council considers a proposal to outlaw the sale of assault weapons. Unlike the Los Angeles ordinance, the measure would not ban possession of the guns.

Proposed Ban

Simi Valley Councilwoman Ann Rock proposed the ban last month after the Stockton slayings. The council is scheduled to consider the matter March 27.

In Burbank, where the City Council outlawed the sale of toy guns resembling real weapons 16 months ago, City Atty. Douglas C. Holland said he is drafting an anti-gun ordinance that will be modeled after the Los Angeles measure. Holland hopes to present the ordinance to the Burbank City Council in two weeks.

The Thousand Oaks City Council asked its city attorney Tuesday night to research a ban on assault weapons. The San Fernando City Council took similar action Monday.

Bob Tolces, owner of Blue Star Arms in Santa Clarita, said the Los Angeles ban on the weapons will only encourage people to purchase the guns elsewhere.

In Fillmore, gun shop owner Gary Creagle said he has sold more than 50 assault rifles since the Stockton massacre Jan. 17. “It’s even more amazing when you consider that before this, I had only sold two assault rifles since 1972,” said Creagle, owner of Up in Arms.

“My regular customers are buying them to put in their safes as an investment because they figure they can triple their money.”

Clarence Raville, owner of Caraville Arms in Thousand Oaks, also said the demand for the weapons has skyrocketed. Raville said he has ordered the weapons from out-of-state distributors because local dealers have run out.

“This just shows that if people think they can’t have something, they want it,” Raville said. He said he received several calls about the guns Wednesday.

Times staff writer Greg Braxton contributed to this article.