New gun laws approved by Palm Springs City Council

Palm Springs city leaders approved a new ordinance Wednesday evening targeting guns in the city.

The final vote was 3 to 2 in favor of the ordinance which will impose a number of new requirements for law abiding gun owners.

The ordinance will now require will require all guns to be locked up or stored with a trigger lock while not in the owner’s control, and any lost or stolen gun will have to be reported to police within 48 hours.

Gun owners will also be required to keep firearms and ammunition out of unattended vehicles unless they are in a locked container or stored in the vehicle’s trunk.

Violators could face misdmeanor charges and a thousand dollar fine.

City Councilmember Geoff Kors had introduced the ordinance in July following the Orlando, Florida nightclub terror attack where 49 people were killed and more than
50 people injured.

Kors spoke about why he felt the need for the ordinance again last night.

Kors said, “This isn’t just about children or accident deaths, or suicides. It’s also about stolen, unsecured guns being used in crime after crime after crime.” Kors added, “People are being killed because people who legally owned their guns didn’t secure them.”

Councilmembers Ginny Foat and Mayor Pro Tem Chris Mills voted against the ordinance.

Foat had said at an earlier meeting she could not support a law she would violate.

Last night Foat added, “”It’s a law on the books. but we have no way to enforce it. So the gun gets stolen. What does the Chief do with this information?”

The revised ordinance no longer contained a ban on “large-capacity” ammunition magazines that can hold 10 bullets or more, and a requirement that gun stores track transactions by gathering personally identifying information with an ”ammunition sales log.”

The ordinance will take effect in 30 days.