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Council approves public‑safety outreach urging parental questions about guns in homes, amending motion to remove enforcement language
Summary
The council passed an amended resolution calling for public‑service announcements and school‑distributed brochures encouraging parents to ask safety questions about guns in homes; a controversial clause urging parents to forbid visits was removed and the amended motion passed 14-1.
The Los Angeles City Council on Feb. 19 approved an amended resolution encouraging parents and caregivers to ask several safety questions before allowing children to visit another home and directed the Information Technology Agency (ITA) to produce outreach materials.
The original motion recommended two steps; after extended floor debate the council excised the second clause that some members said would inappropriately tell parents whom they could allow their children to visit. Council Members Savornich and Feuer proposed and supported amendments to remove the controversial clause and to add direction that ITA prepare a public‑service announcement to air on the city channel and prepare a small brochure for distribution in cooperation with the school district.
Public commenters and council members framed the measure as a public‑education effort rather than an enforceable regulation. The final text urges parents to consider asking whether a home contains a gun, whether it is stored safely, whether it is unloaded and whether ammunition is stored separately. The motion also instructed ITA to report back to the ITGS and Public Safety committees within 30 days on the proposed outreach plan.
The chair opened the roll on the amended item and the clerk announced the vote: 14 ayes, 1 no. Council members who opposed the original second clause had argued it intruded on parental discretion and risked divulging private information; supporters said the outreach could be life‑saving and that a voluntary public‑service campaign was an appropriate, non‑regulatory civic step.
Council members who spoke on the item included Council Member Goldberg (item sponsor), Council Member Wax, Council Member Savornich, Council Member Feuer and Council Member Holden. Several members offered substitute approaches — ITA PSAs and school brochures — that the council ultimately adopted as amendments.
