Editorial: LAPD gun buyback displays wider need for gun control
The great success of the Los Angeles Police Department's gun
buyback event this week sends a message that many people
understand that firearms are out of control on our streets.  But
these feel-good affairs are just a symbolic drop in the bucket
-- interesting, but not really netting the dangerous guns.
What's needed, especially in light of the recent shooting at
Sandy Hook Elementary, is legislation aimed at controlling
access to assault weapons and extended ammunition magazines.  To
be sure, there are plenty of good-hearted people in Los Angeles
who are willing to hand over their unwanted firearms to the
LAPD. Police collected more than 2,000 guns during two city-
sponsored events in Van Nuys and South Los Angeles on Wednesday.
The events are a mixed bag. A couple of the weapons turned in
were fully automatic guns typically used by gang members. But in
most cases, the guns that were exchanged for gift cards were old
family heirlooms that were