7 Officers Disarmed for Abuse Convictions

Seven Los Angeles Police Department officers have relinquished their guns and were taken off patrol duties because of a new federal law that prohibits anyone with a domestic abuse conviction from carrying a firearm, Chief Bayan Lewis said Wednesday.

Lewis said one of the seven officers is in the process of getting his conviction expunged and may not be permanently affected by the Gun Control Act, which was amended last year to include the domestic violence provision.

The chief disclosed the figure during a news conference to announce that he had signed a “special order” explaining to department employees how the federal law applies to them.