Council Backs Gun Control Measures

Ignoring the arguments of two members who said the ordinance would infringe on individual privacy rights, the Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday gave its support to a package of gun control measures aimed at reducing violence in the city.

The ordinance, which received preliminary approval last week from the council, is supported by Los Angeles Police Chief Bernard C. Parks and the Police Commission.

Introduced by Councilman Mike Feuer, the measures would:

* Require trigger locks or similar safety devices to be sold with guns

* Require thumbprints from people who buy ammunition

* Require background checks on all gun store employees

* Ban the sale of magazines and clips that can be converted to hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition

* Prohibit the owners of cheap, so-called Saturday night specials from reselling the weapons to gun dealers.

The council’s approval comes less than two weeks after Gov. Pete Wilson vetoed legislation banning the manufacture and sale of cheap handguns in the state.

Citing the example of Selwyn Leflore Jr., a 9-year-old Compton boy killed Tuesday by a stray bullet fired by a suspected gang member, Feuer told his colleagues Wednesday that the council has a responsibility to act.

“By themselves, these measures will not reduce violence in our city. Each is a piece in a broader puzzle. We need an array of measures and this reform package is a step in the right direction.”

“I think every little bit helps,” said Officer Steven Mulldorfer, who heads the LAPD’s gun unit. “Maybe a trigger lock will keep some little kid from shooting himself or a neighbor.”

Councilmen Nate Holden and Rudy Svorinich objected to the ordinance, saying the thumb-printing requirement was a violation of privacy.

“This is feel-good legislation,” Holden said. “It won’t stop gun violence. This ordinance can be used to harass people who haven’t done anything.”