Yaroslavsky Urges Handgun Curbs for County

Saying violence follows gun sales, Zev Yaroslavsky, the new chairman of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, called Tuesday for a ban on “Saturday night specials” and other easily concealable weapons in unincorporated county areas.

The proposal, modeled on the city of Los Angeles’ ordinance to restrict the sale of cheap handguns, would prohibit federally licensed gun dealers from selling firearms in any neighborhood zoned as residential, including sales from homes or cars.

“We have found not surprisingly [that] where there is a preponderance of gun sales, there is also a preponderance of violence,” Yaroslavsky said. “And it is almost a direct connection between the proximity of the sale and the gun violence.”

Yaroslavsky said there are 2,200 federal firearms license holders in the county--more than seven times the number of McDonald’s restaurants and more than double the number of schools. His proposal also would require county health officials to more efficiently track injuries caused by gun violence.

Yaroslavsky brought up gun control during a speech at Tuesday’s board meeting in which he outlined his plans as the incoming chairman of the board. Although the post--which is rotated annually among the supervisors--holds only ceremonial power, the chair often uses the position as a means to focus on specific issues.

In addition to the gun ordinance, Yaroslavsky said that he will focus on children’s issues and that he will seek to ensure that each county department is audited.

Opponents of gun control said Yaroslavsky’s proposal is similar to measures they are fighting in the courts and legislative arenas statewide.

“I would say it’s political posturing,” said Steve Helsley, the Sacramento-based state lobbyist for the National Rifle Assn. “I would submit to you that firearms dealers are as regulated as anyone else.”

Helsley said firearms dealers in California must have a local business license, a resale permit from the State Board of Equalization, and a certificate of eligibility from the state that requires a background check. Dealers also need a federal firearms license from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, which requires a second background check, Helsley said.

Proposals such as Yaroslavsky’s, he said, “are a solution in search of a problem. In no place where we have seen these [restrictions] have home gun dealers been a problem.”

Last month, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge dismissed a challenge to a West Hollywood ordinance that banned the sale of cheap handguns. The judge ruled that state gun laws did not preempt the local law.

Yaroslavsky, who represents most of the San Fernando Valley and the Westside, said a county gun control ordinance is necessary because as cities such as Los Angeles and West Hollywood have enacted their own measures in the past two years, illicit gun dealers have relocated to the unincorporated areas.

The supervisor said he will introduce the motion next month to coincide with the release of a county Department of Health Services study that shows the areas where gun dealers in the county are located.

The study found that most of the gun dealers sell firearms within 1,000 feet of schools, said Christian Giangreco, a Los Angeles County epidemiologist.

Yaroslavsky said that in areas where guns are sold, the level of violence increases. The areas, he said, include Temple City, Lennox, Watts and the Antelope Valley.

Among supervisors, Yvonne Brathwaite-Burke said she probably would support Yaroslavsky’s plan, while Mike Antonovich and newly elected Don Knabe said they would study it before making a decision. A spokesman for Gloria Molina said she wants to see the proposal but has generally supported tough handgun restrictions.