POSTING SIGN / DANGERS OF FIREARM OWNERSHIP

Motion - It is a priority of the City of Los Angeles to maintain a safe environment for its residents. The significant number of incidents involving the use of a firearm in the home is one area where public information and enforcement measures must be enhanced to better protect the public. According to the Brady Campaign, firearms kept in the home for self-protection are more often used against an acquaintance or a family member than against an intruder in self defense. A firearm kept in the home is 22 times more likely to be used in an unintentional shooting, a criminal assault or homicide, or an attempted or completed suicide than to be used justifiably to injure or kill in self-defense. In addition, when someone is home, a gun is used for protection in fewer than two percent of home invasion crimes. The 2005 Federal Bureau of Investigation's Uniform Crime Report shows there were 143 justifiable homicides committed with the use of a firearm, compared with 10,100 murders committed with a firearm. A Johns Hopkins University study found that although many citizens keep a gun in the home for protection, guns are rarely used for this purpose. This study also found that in homes with guns, the homicide of a household member is almost three times more likely to occur than in homes without guns. In addition, a University of Washington Department of Health Services study concluded that keeping a gun in the home locked, unloaded, storing ammunition locked, and in a separate location are each associated with a protective effect and suggest a feasible strategy to reduce these types of injuries in homes with children and teenagers where guns are stored. In 2005, Assemblymember Mark Ridley-Thomas introduced AB 944, legislation that would have required firearms dealers to conspicuously post a warning in their place of business regarding the dangers of having a gun in the home. A similar warning would have also been printed on all firearms sales contracts. The bill failed to pass although it was supported by the City of Los Angeles as well as organizations such as the Trauma Foundation and the Brady Campaign. In an effort to reduce gun-related incidents in the home, the City should enact an ordinance that mirrors the provisions contained in AB 944. A visual warning reminding customers that there is a greater likelihood of being killed or injured by a family member rather than by an intruder would bring to their attention this information and their responsibility in purchasing a firearm for home protection. THEREFORE MOVE, that the Council request the City Attorney, with the assistance of the Los Angeles Police Department, to draft an ordinance that would require firearms dealers to post, conspicuously, a warning of the dangers of possessing a firearm within their place of business and to include such a warning on firearms sales contracts.