LA County Board of Supervisors to explore possibility of local gun-control measures
On Tuesday, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors directed county attorneys to investigate possible gun-control measures that could be implemented locally.
"There's no doubt that we're facing a gun violence epidemic in our nation," said Supervisor Janice Hahn, who introduced the motion asking for the report. "There's simply too many guns out in our communities."
The motion, which was unanimously approved, directs county attorneys to look at an array of potential local regulations that could include enacting a safe-storage requirement similar to the one the city of LA has in place, increasing the age requirement to purchase long guns from 18 to 21, creating buffer zones between schools and gun stores, and not allowing anyone on the federal no-fly list to purchase firearms.
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Hahn referenced the many gun rallies, such as March for Our Lives, that were held in LA and across the country over the weekend, and said that students and parents are "begging those of us who can to take action against gun violence."
"I wanted to take a look at what we could do as county supervisors here in Los Angeles County," she said, calling for a list of "common-sense gun measures that we can enact here at the local level that would save lives."
Supervisor Hilda Solis said she believed the motion to approve the report is a step in the right direction.
"We know that each shooting takes somebody's life away, and we have to go way beyond this now, and I do believe this motion will help us get there," she said.
The motion also directs staff to investigate what would be needed to enable the county Department of Public Health to declare gun violence a public health emergency, and it would also add the county's voice in supporting bipartisan gun legislation that's being considered in Congress.
