Burbank officials to further study gun regulation in the city
The tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. was the last straw for thousands of people around the country and has provoked people to ask their public officials to adopt stricter gun-control laws.
Members of the Burbank City Council are looking to see what they can do, and last week unanimously voted to direct city staff to bring back more information on what the city can do to regulate gun purchases.
Additionally, council members voted to amend the city’s legislative platform to include efforts to reduce gun violence.
Several residents told City Council that something needs to be done about gun sales in the city.
Resident Bill Sebastian suggested the city should consider placing a cap on the number of gun stores in Burbank.
City Manager Ron Davis said city staff will determine exactly how many gun stores are in the city.
Sebastian and a few other residents added that the city should look into regulating how large retailers, such as Walmart and Big 5 Sporting Goods, display firearms in their stores.
“Guns shouldn’t be an impulse buy,” Sebastian said. “They shouldn’t be something that you see every time you go to buy golf balls. They should be something that is a conscientious and very separate, measured decision that some [go] to a separate store to go do.”
On the other hand, resident Mike Elman told council members they should be speaking with officials at movie studios in the city, which he thinks are significant contributors to the reasons why there have been so many shootings across the country recently.
“If you really want to tackle this problem, you talk to Warner Bros. and the other studios who glorify guns more than any outlet in this country,” he said. “Every movie is a shoot-em-up, and they are the biggest purveyors of guns, bigger than Colt, Remington, Ruger and the rest of them.”
Vice Mayor Emily Gabel-Luddy said she was interested in learning about whether the city can regulate major retailers on how they display guns they sell.
Additionally, she suggested there be educational programs about proper gun ownership and storage of firearms.
anthonyclark.carpio@latimes.com
Twitter: @acocarpio
