Despite fierce legal threats from national gun rights groups, the Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to prohibit the possession of firearm magazines that hold more than 10 rounds.
Tuesday’s vote closes an important “loophole,” Council Member Paul Krekorian said, because California law already bans the manufacturing of large-capacity magazines and prohibits them from being brought into the state. Under the new rules, possession of the magazines will also be outlawed and residents will have 60 days to surrender them or face a potential misdemeanor.
Retired police and military gun owners, licensed firearms dealers, and those who obtained their guns prior to January 1, 2000 are exempt. Mayor Eric Garcetti has already said he will sign the measure, which is modeled after ordinances adopted in San Francisco and Sunnyvale that have withstood legal challenges.
In response to the legal threats, Krekorian told the National Rifle Association and others to “bring it on.”
“People who want to defend their families don’t need a 100-round drum magazine and an automatic weapon to do it,” Krekorian added. Supporters of the ordinance cited large-capacity magazines as a “common thread” in nearly all mass shootings.
But attorney Anna Barvir, who represents the NRA and the California Rifle and Pistol Assn., said the magazines are commonly used for self-defense and are often chosen for that very reason.
“Indeed, millions are in the hands of good American citizens. As such, they are fully protected by the Constitution,” Barvir said in a statement.
The council also instructed the city attorney to draft an amendment to the ordinance exempting retired police officers with concealed carry permits. That amendment is expected to come before the council next week.
Read more about Tuesday’s vote here.
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