Speaker 5: Thank you. We have item two, please.
Speaker 1: Communication from Councilwoman Sarah Chair, Public Safety Committee Recommendation to request City Council to approve the Motion of the Public Safety Committee of on February 25th, 2022 to support Assembly Bill 1621 to enact legislation relating to unsterilized firearms.
Speaker 5: Thank you, Councilman Zoro.
Speaker 3: Thank you, Vice Mayor. So, yes, so back in February 25th during Public Safety Committee, we made a motion to support this legislation. But at that time, it was an intent bill. And I wanted to make sure we had it amended to be policy before bringing it forward to council today. And it was amended back on the 26, which and that is why it's here today. And so when I think, you know, the police will be PD for doing a presentation on those guns as well as the increasing violence or increasing gun violence. And I think that this item is timely given that President Biden's just announced a ban just yesterday on unlicensed kits to manufacture the ghost gun, which I believe. I am wondering if we can have Mr. Curley explain how how this work with this ban, federal ban, and how would it work with our state legislation? And also how would that impact are the local feasibility that was just passed last week? And so I'm wondering if you could answer those question.
Speaker 6: Absolutely. Thank you, Councilwoman. So essentially, the state bill that is the core focus of this item would expand the definition of what constitutes a firearm in terms of what's required for, you know, having a serial number, tracking purposes and regulation. The federal rule that was announced yesterday by the president does very similar thing in terms of essentially requiring background checks and serial numbers for kits that are used to be able to create firearms. The main difference, of course, though, is just essentially a jurisdictional issue. So the federal rule would apply to the ATF, whereas the state rule or law, if it were passed, would apply to state level local law enforcement as well. But at this point, they are complementary in terms of their policy approach to addressing the issue of ghost guns.
Speaker 3: Thank you. Well, then, I think with that being said, I really like staff to take it into consideration with the federal ban that was just done, the announcement on the ban by the president as well as the state bill. And we can take that into consideration as we're thinking about a local feasibility study on how that would be impacted, because I am just concerned that we may spend all this time to do a local study when we and then come to find that the federal as well as the state ledge could just really supersede all of that. So thank you very much. And yes, thank you.
Speaker 5: Thank you, Councilmember Durango.
Speaker 6: Thank you, Councilmember, truly for bringing this forward because we're so sorry that presentation that we received at the Public Safety Committee was very enlightening, very educational, very informative. And we know that this has reached the federal level. I think it speaks volumes about what is out there and the dangers that these guns pose.
Speaker 0: For our.
Speaker 6: Local community. So I'm very glad to support this item.
Speaker 5: Councilman Price.
Speaker 3: Thank you. And Councilwoman Zoro, thank you so much for bringing this item. What a great idea for us to take up. And I'm so grateful that we're doing that tonight. I think it's very timely. I think the purpose of last week's item was to kind of.
Speaker 2: Look at what.
Speaker 3: Local ordinances.
Speaker 2: We could and put into our municipal code that would strengthen the municipal code in regards to ghost guns specific.
Speaker 3: To misdemeanors. So I agree with you. I think if there is some state.
Speaker 2: Legislation that supersedes, then obviously the municipal code would be moot.
Speaker 3: But my understanding of the state legislation is that right now is that it doesn't incorporate some of the enumerated actions that we deemed would potentially be a misdemeanor if committed in the.
Speaker 2: City of Long Beach.
Speaker 3: Such as possession of parts and things of that nature. So I look forward to the report coming back. And I think this is this is a fantastic item. I would like to.
Speaker 2: Offer a friendly.
Speaker 3: That we direct staff to.
Speaker 2: Support the federal.
Speaker 3: Efforts to stop ghost guns.
Speaker 2: Introduced by President Biden earlier this week.
Speaker 3: As part of.
Speaker 2: Our efforts to.
Speaker 3: Really take a look at ghost guns.
Speaker 5: It's been often.
Speaker 0: When we.
Speaker 5: Yeah.
Speaker 3: So actually because it's a federal legislation, I like to for it to go to the Fed large committee if that's possible. So I don't know it's to make up.
Speaker 5: Oh it's the so you're accepting the friendly by but alternative to say to send it.
Speaker 3: To go to the fat ledge.
Speaker 2: Committee.
Speaker 4: Okay Councilman Austin so I'm glad to see this item here. And I think this reinforces our conversation from a week ago where we were having the same conversation about the same issue of ghost guns. They are creating quite a challenge and in our community they are public safety challenged in a big way. And so I commend Councilmember Ciro for for bringing this item this week. Again, we had a conversation last week. Councilmember Price brought something last week as well. And it just this is a double down effort. And I think this sends the right message to the residents of Long Beach and anybody that comes in Long Beach that, you know, goes guns won't be tolerated, gun violence won't be tolerated in our city. So I'm happy to support this item. And I agree we should be having a full court press on this from the federal level, from the state level and the local level to keep our residents safe.
Speaker 5: Thanks. All right. Thank you. Councilwoman Day has.
Speaker 2: Thank you. Thank you. Council member Sara for bringing this item forward. Ghost guns are dangerous. They they increase the level of unsafe D.
Speaker 3: In our city and our.
Speaker 2: Neighborhoods and make it more challenging to address since they are on serialized weapons. So thank you very much for bringing this item forward. And I do feel and agree with those who spoke before. It is a very timely to coordinate this with the with the state and federal regulations that are happening. So think.
Speaker 5: Thank you. And before we go back to Councilman Ciro, just at my support for the item, I like everything I heard here today. I think we're in a good place. So we're talking about, you know, we're acknowledging the legislation happening in the state, acknowledging what President Biden is doing. And we have a local effort we discussed last week. So it's thorough, happy to support it.
Speaker 1: Councilman Allen Yeah, I agree with everything you just said. Vice Mayor in supporting from the federal to the state, I think this is a is a huge problem. And anybody, you know can purchase these gun kits and get their hands on these kits, people that have serious criminal backgrounds, people involved in domestic violence. I mean, even kids can get their hands on these these kits. And and a person who comes from a law enforcement background, these are really dangerous. And so I appreciate what we're doing and all my colleagues and all their efforts and support this wholeheartedly. Thank you.
Speaker 5: Thank you. Any public comment? Let's see. We have one tonight, I can say.
Speaker 0: Thank you. I just want to speak in full support of Assemblyman Mike Gibson's bill. I think that in support of the AR chair and vice chair, uh, the public safety committee for bringing this up, I think that, um, the government is, is kind of reconciling with the conversation about the plague of ghost guns. I mean, we had a very tragic mass murder here in the city of Long Beach, October 29, 2019. That was in effect due to go scans, uh, here on seventh. And, um, and, um, and, and temple, you know, it was a, it was a Halloween party that I was on my way to attend. And a childhood friend of mine was murdered as a result of ghost guns. So for me, this strikes very near and dear to my heart. A lot of the gun violence that we're currently engaged in currently is being engaged with in the streets right now is essentially people buying these kids off of the Internet and finding a way, a loophole to, uh, you know, of our municipal code to get around and establishing, you know, contact with these, with these items and murdering people because they know they can get away with it because there's no serial number. I mean, there was a shooting just today in New York in the subway, and they're still trying to figure out how that firearm was allowed. And I'm pretty sure, you know, I don't want to speculate, but I'm pretty sure that two was a ghost gun. And so, you know, I know we're in the implementation process of, you know, with with with the law about how we're going to engage with this. But I think that most people that have these items are, in effect, stone cold out to be murderers. I'm a legal gun owner myself. I have multiple firearms. And I have to go through a very lengthy background check in order to go through that process. So not to outdoors. I mean, certainly no, uh, local business. But with that said, no one's dealing with this within themselves with these ghost guns. And we're just going to see in the next 5 to 10 years, it's going to be an epidemic, much the same alignment of the opioid crisis that we're currently dealing with. So I appreciate the counsel for stepping forward and getting ahead and making this happen. Thank you.
Speaker 5: Thank you. Members, please cast your vote.
Speaker 1: Motion is carried.
Speaker 5: Thank you. Now we're going to go to Na Na Na agenda. Public comment. We have three speakers Ray Lawson, Rafael Pimentel and Tatiana Jensen.
Recommendation to request City Council to approve the motion of the Public Safety Committee on February 25, 2022, to support Assembly Bill 1621 to enact legislation relating to unserialized firearms.