Local News in Brief : Vote on Assault Weapons Delayed

A decision whether to ban semi-automatic assault weapons in much of Los Angeles County was delayed Tuesday by the Board of Supervisors because one member was absent.

The ban, proposed by Supervisor Kenneth Hahn, would apply to unincorporated county areas and will not be taken up for two weeks because Supervisor Ed Edelman is ill.

However, the board voted to support state legislation that would mandate life sentences for using assault weapons to commit a crime and make it illegal to sell assault weapons to anyone convicted of a felony or violent misdemeanor.

On Monday, the Bellflower City Council cast a preliminary vote to join the ranks of communities banning such weapons. The council passed an ordinance, patterned after one recently approved by the Los Angeles City Council, that makes it illegal to sell or possess the weapons. If the measure is approved for a second time at the council’s next meeting, owners of assault rifles would have six months to turn in their weapons to a licensed dealer or the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Bellflower spokesman Craig Nealis said.