S. El Monte to Consider Ban on Assault Rifles

Alarmed by a statewide increase in shooting deaths involving semiautomatic weapons, city officials plan to introduce an ordinance to restrict or ban the sale of military-style assault rifles.

If the City Council adopts a ban, the city will join at least six others in California that have prohibited the sale and possession of assault rifles. Congress and the state Legislature are also considering similar proposals.

Three of the city’s five council members have already announced they will support some kind of regulation of assault rifles.

The rash of legislative efforts to ban such weapons comes in the wake of last month’s murder spree in Stockton, where a man with an assault rifle sprayed a schoolyard with gunfire, killing five children and wounding 29 others.

The proposed ordinance is scheduled to be discussed at a council meeting Thursday, one week after city officials and a San Gabriel Valley community group asked a gun distributing firm based in the city to voluntarily halt the sale of such weapons.

Assault Rifle Importer

The citizens group, East Valleys Organization, said that Federal Ordinance Inc. is the nation’s eighth largest importer of military assault rifles, according to the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.

On Thursday, members of the citizens group, city officials and Congressman Esteban E. Torres (D-La Puente) held a press conference in front of the firearms company at 1443 Potrero Ave. Group members asked to meet with company officials to request a voluntary sales ban.

Berton Brenner, president of Federal Ordinance, declined to meet the group outside because he “did not want to make a statement in public,” said Carol Popp, an employee.

Popp said Brenner offered to meet with three representatives in his office, but the group turned him down.

Limiting a meeting to three representatives was unacceptable, said Father Joseph Greeley of Epiphany Catholic Church in South El Monte. He said such a small group would not be representative of the organization’s large and diverse leadership.

Popp declined to answer other questions.

East Valleys Organization is a network of 12 San Gabriel Valley church congregations. A spokeswoman said the group represents 33,000 families.

Councilman Art Olmos said he proposed the ordinance even before he realized that Federal Ordinance was located in the city or that East Valleys Organization wanted the company to impose a voluntary ban.

Prompted by Shooting

Olmos said the recent shooting death of a friend’s nephew prompted him to take action. He said he was also alarmed by news reports about deaths involving assault weapons.

Councilman Ignacio Gracia said he supports a ban partly because he has two sons who, as sheriff’s deputies, are often exposed to assault weapons on the street.

“My sons tell me those things will go through their protective vests,” said Gracia. “I don’t want the same thing that happened in Stockton to happen in our city.”

Mayor Al Perez said he is not worried that an ordinance banning assault rifles may be challenged in court by groups such as the National Rifle Assn.

“I think we have to test it,” said Perez.

In Monterey Park, officials have asked Assistant City Atty. Stephanie Scher to investigate banning the sale of semiautomatic assault weapons. A resident, Irv Gilman, broached the subject during last Monday’s City Council meeting. In response, Mayor Barry L. Hatch and other council members asked Scher to study the legal issues involved in the city adopting such an ordinance.