S. El Monte Approves Ban on Semiautomatic Weapons

The City Council moved to ban the possession and sale of semiautomatic assault rifles Thursday, joining at least 10 other California cities that have adopted such laws.

The unanimous vote drew widespread applause from most of the audience of more than 300, which packed the council chambers to urge adoption of the ban.

The ordinance, modeled after one adopted Feb. 7 by Los Angeles, bans semiautomatic or carbine rifles, which use detachable ammunition clips of 20 rounds or more. It specifically names 15 guns by make or manufacturer, and also bans their copies.

At least 10 other California cities or counties have adopted bans after an incident in Stockton last month when a drifter opened fire with an AK-47 assault rifle on a crowded schoolyard, killing five children and wounding 29 others. About 17 other municipalities are considering bans, said Sheryl Patterson, staff attorney for the League of California Cities.

The council also passed a resolution supporting a bill by state Sen. David A. Roberti (D-Los Angeles) that would provide a statewide ban on semiautomatic weapons.

City Atty. Steven L. Dorsey said the ordinance will be officially adopted on its second reading March 9. It would go into effect 30 days after that, he said.

The South El Monte ban also affects sawed-off shotguns with folding stocks or ammunition magazines. Parts or kits that would convert a weapon into semiautomatic capability are also banned.

The ban does not include handguns, semiautomatic weapons manufactured before 1954 or weapons that are single-shot or bolt-action.

According to the ordinance, “no person, including wholesale and retail gun dealers, shall sell, offer or display for sale, give, lend or transfer ownership of, or possess any assault weapon.”

Violating the ordinance is a misdemeanor under the City Code punishable by up to a $1,000 fine and a year in jail, Dorsey said.

Anyone who inherits an assault rifle will have six months to dispose of it by transfer to a lawful recipient or to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department or other police agency.

The ordinance will require Federal Ordinance Inc., a South El Monte gun wholesaler that is the nation’s eighth-largest importer of military-style rifles, to dispose of its inventory.

Before the vote, the council heard impassioned pleas from gun advocates about citizens’ rights to bear arms and arguments from those opposed to assault rifle sales, who expressed fear because of the ease in obtaining the weapons.

“We’re not going to take this lying down,” said Russell Weiner, who spoke against the ban. “We’re not going to give up; we’re going to do something about this.”

Father Joe Greeley, a pastor at Epiphany Catholic Church who spoke in favor of the ban, said he was elated by the council’s action and hoped it would prod higher legislative bodies to act.

“I’m very pleased that the city saw fit to do something to ban these weapons,” Greeley said. “I hope is sends a message to the county and to the state.”

Earlier this month, South El Monte officials and members of East Valleys Organization asked Federal Ordinance to voluntarily halt the sale of such weapons. East Valleys Organization is coalition of the members of 12 San Gabriel Valley church congregations.

In interviews before the meeting, several council members explained why they intended to support the ban.

Councilman Art Olmos, who proposed the ban, said the proliferation of assault rifles and lack of action by the state forced the city to act.

Councilman Ignacio Garcia, who has two sons who are deputy sheriffs, said he supported the ban because of the increasing danger facing law enforcement officers.

Mayor Al Perez, in explaining his support for the ban, said assault rifles, unlike handguns or hunting rifles, have no legitimate use other than killing people.

“You don’t need that kind of assault weapon in our neighborhoods,” said Perez, who owns a handgun. “It’s overkill.”