Local News in Brief : Council OKs Ban on Assault Weapons

The Long Beach City Council on Tuesday approved an ordinance outlawing the local sale of semiautomatic assault weapons, while reaffirming its support of a statewide ban on the sale of the military-style guns.

The measure, which would go into effect a month after its scheduled second reading next week, bans the sale of such semiautomatic weapons as the AK-47, the AR-15 and the Uzi. Unlike a ban recently adopted in Los Angeles, however, it does not make possession of the weapons illegal, prompting several council members to concede that the ordinance is weak. They nonetheless argued that it was better than nothing and approved it, 8 to 1. Councilman Jeffrey A. Kellogg voted against the proposal, saying, “I’m not to support this because the state can do it better.”

The ordinance makes it a misdemeanor, punishable by up to six months in jail and a fine of $1,000, to sell semiautomatic rifles or carbines that accept magazines of 20 or more rounds, as well as shotguns that hold more than six rounds.

Since a gunman killed five Stockton schoolchildren with an AK-47 in January, several cities in Los Angeles County have passed local assault weapon bans, including Los Angeles, Compton, Carson and Lynwood.