This has been a tough year for firearms rights in the U.S., with tough restrictions passed at the state level from east to west. But the Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) continues to push back with legal action; its latest target is a notoriously tough-on-guns city. They’re suing Los Angeles as well as the nearby city of Inglewood over their handgun purchasing restrictions.
Legal battles @ TFB:
- Maryland High Court Limits Montgomery County Gun Carry Restrictions
- TFB Behind The Gun Podcast #64: Discussing Gun Patents with an Intellectual Property Lawyer
- Judge Strikes Down New Jersey’s AR-15 Ban
- OG Guntuber Jordan “Dugan” Ashley Facing Federal Charges
One gun per month
In the city of Los Angeles and in right-next-door Inglewood, residents are restricted to purchasing a single handgun every 30 days. This is nothing new; that law has been on the books in Los Angeles since 1999 (it came into effect around 2000). You can read the whole thing here, but the gist of it is, one handgun per month is all you’re allowed in the City of Angels. Inglewood, whose politicians obviously copied Los Angeles’ homework, saw their similar law come into effect the same year. And now, the FPC is ready to face them down in court.
The FPC filed suit against the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
on June 3; you can see updates on their legal process here. They’re still in the preliminary stages, so don’t expect any wild updates at any time soon.
The FPC says, “The plaintiffs challenging the local laws include FPC, an FPC member, and the California Gun Rights Foundation. The plaintiffs are represented by Chad Flores of Flores Law PLLC and David Bartels of Lawrence Bartels LLP. FPC thanks C.D. Michel, Joshua Robert Dale, and the California Rifle & Pistol Association for their assistance and support.” They are looking for more financial support on this case, though, if you feel like chipping in …
The lawsuit comes as California’s statewide law, which was similar (preventing buyers from purchasing more than one handgun every 30 days) was declared unconstitutional by the Ninth Circuit.
FPC president Brandon Combs says the cities’ law is essentially the same, and that it should therefore also be struck down on the same grounds: “The Ninth Circuit already held that handgun rationing laws like these are unconstitutional, but Los Angeles and Inglewood are still enforcing them anyway. FPC and our Grassroots Army filed this lawsuit to end these unconstitutional laws and force these cities to respect the Second Amendment, full stop,” said Combs. When the FPC gets their day in court, we shall see if the judge agrees with that logic.
