Gun owners in San Clemente are set to be required to make sure their firearms are stored safely when they are not being carried or at arms-length.
A divided City Council has approved a new law that supporters say would help with preventing accidental access to guns by children, misuse of guns by those who are mentally ill or emotionally impaired and firearm thefts during home burglaries. The council will have to vote a second time to make the law final and for it to go into effect.
While federal and state laws already have mechanisms in place to address gun safety, the council majority favored implementing more specifics locally to address loopholes they see within those laws.
“If one gun owner locks it up, it will help,” said Councilmember Rick Loeffler, a 37-year law enforcement veteran who introduced the item to the council. “Right now, you can put 15 guns on your couch all loaded, leave the house and go on vacation, and it’s perfectly fine. I think as a responsible gun owner, you’d want your guns locked up, not only for safety but just so you can keep them. We do have guns stolen in San Clemente.”
“This is not invasive,” he added, “it’s sending a message to keep people secure and keep guns out of the hands of criminals.”
The proposed ordinance is directed at owners who keep firearms in their homes, garages or sheds and would require them to store the firearms in locked containers or disable them with a trigger lock unless the weapon is being carried or is within the owner’s immediate control. The safe storage requirements would allow owners to store firearms loaded if they wish.
Federal and state laws preempt city law related to firearms, and criminal enforcement of the law is unlikely, city officials said. The new law also encourages gun owners to report the loss or theft of a gun.
Mayor Victor Cabral and Councilmember Steve Knoblock opposed the ordinance, worrying that its passage could open the city to possible litigation, they…
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