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City attorney briefs council on Smith & Wesson settlement; Los Angeles will dismiss that defendant and continue broader litigation
Summary
City Attorney James Hahn told the council March 17 that a nationwide settlement with Smith & Wesson was announced that includes product‑safety and marketing commitments; the city will dismiss Smith & Wesson from its lawsuit but will continue litigation against other manufacturers.
The Los Angeles City Attorney briefed the City Council on March 17 about a newly announced agreement between the White House and Smith & Wesson that commits the gunmaker to product‑safety measures and certain marketing restrictions. The city attorney said the city will dismiss Smith & Wesson as a defendant in Los Angeles's pending litigation but will press the suit against other manufacturers.
City Attorney James Hahn summarized the settlement terms announced that morning, saying the agreement requires Smith & Wesson to place external gun locks on weapons immediately, install internal locking mechanisms within two years, and design models so they cannot readily be operated by a child under age 6. The company also committed to chamber indicators, magazine disconnect devices, and to provide clearer safe‑storage warnings.
Hahn said Smith & Wesson also will fire test rounds and submit ballistic information to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) so bullets can be traced to Smith & Wesson firearms, and to devote 2 percent of annual sales revenue to development of personalized‑gun technology. Distributors of Smith & Wesson products agreed to a procedure limiting immediate multi‑gun releases; Hahn described a mechanism comparable to a one‑gun‑per‑sale control with a 14‑day hold on additional transfers.
Why it matters
Hahn said the lawsuit filed by Los Angeles was not primarily about money but about changing industry practices. He described the settlement as "historic" because it asks a manufacturer to accept responsibility for safer products and marketing. The city will dismiss Smith & Wesson from its suit but continue litigation against other makers and seek additional or stronger measures.
Council procedural finding
Because the settlement was announced after the council agenda was posted, the council first approved procedural findings to allow the city attorney's briefing; those findings were recorded as 13 ayes.
Quotes
"For the first time, a gun manufacturer is accepting responsibility to make a safer product, to market that product in a way that it will be kept out of the hands of children and criminals," City Attorney James Hahn said.
"This lawsuit was not about money. This was about changing the way this product is made and changing the way an industry does business," Hahn said, adding the city would continue the litigation against other manufacturers.
Ending
Council members said they would receive a more detailed briefing and that a councilmember planned a motion on Tuesday to ask the city to purchase firearms for city personnel only from manufacturers that sign the agreement. No vote on purchases was taken on March 17.
