Handgun owners in Los Angeles would have to keep their weapons locked in a box or disabled with a trigger lock under a measure aimed at protecting children that was given unanimous approval on Tuesday by the city council.
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It was championed by Councilman Paul Krekorian and backed by activists who say it will help prevent children from harming themselves with guns.
Owners either have to lock their guns in a container or disable them with a trigger lock.
This summer, Los Angeles adopted a law banning the possession of a handgun or rifle magazine holding more than 10 rounds.
Krekorian told reporters after the vote that he was recently approached by a few gun owners who insisted they should be allowed to keep their weapons under their pillows.
Los Angeles will become the largest city in California to pass a safe storage requirement.
“This is not going to inconvenience a single person in our city”, said Krekorian, “but it is going to save lives”.
The law will go into effect 30 calendar days contingent on Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s signature.
Under L.A.’s law, guns in residences must be carried, locked up or kept “within close enough proximity and control that the owner or other authorized user can readily retrieve and use the handgun as if carried on the person”, according to the City Attorney’s Office.
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That law, which goes into effect next month, is now being challenged in a lawsuit filed by a pair of law enforcement groups, more than two dozen county sheriffs, and the California Rifle and Pistol Association, an affiliate of the National Rifle Association.
