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Title:
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Consideration of Advocacy Positions to Convey the City Council’s Position on Guns, Including: S. 150 (Proposal by Senator Feinstein to Ban Assault Rifles); Mayors Against Illegal Guns; Americans for Responsible Solutions; and President Obama’s Gun Violence Reduction Executive Orders- Now is the Time.
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City of Culver City, California
Agenda Item Report
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends the City Council consider taking positions on guns, including: 1)
S. 150-Assault Weapons Ban of 2013 (authored by Senator Feinstein); 2) Mayors
Against Illegal Guns; 3) Americans for Responsible Solutions; and 4) President
Obama’s Gun Violence Reduction Executive Orders- Now is the Time.
BACKGROUND:
In December 2012, Mayor Weissman committed as the Mayor to the United States
Conference of Mayors’ (USCM) call for sensible gun laws to protect the public. A
copy of the USCM letter is found in Attachment 1.
On February 25, 2013, the City Council provided its direction to place on an
upcoming meeting agenda the following items: 1) support Senator Dianne
Feinstein’s ban on assault weapons and high capacity magazines – S. 150-Assault
Weapons Ban of 2013; 2) join Mayors Against Illegal Guns; 3) support Gabrielle
Giffords’ (and Mark Kelly’s) organization - Americans for Responsible Solutions; and
(4) support President Obama’s Gun Violence Reduction Executive Orders - Now is
the Time.
Meeting Date: 04/08/13 Item Number: A-5
CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM: Consideration of Advocacy Positions to Convey
the City Council’s Position on Guns, Including: S. 150 (Proposal by Senator
Feinstein to Ban Assault Rifles); Mayors Against Illegal Guns; Americans for
Responsible Solutions; and President Obama’s Gun Violence Reduction
Executive Orders- Now is the Time.
Contact Person/Dept.:
Shelly Wolfberg, City Manager’s Office
Phone Number:
(310) 253-6008
Fiscal Impact: Yes [] No [X ] General Fund: Yes [] No [X]
Public Hearing: [ ] Action Item: [X] Attachments: [X]
Commission Action Required: Yes [] No [X] Date: _______________
Public Notification: Meetings and Agendas – (e-mail) Meetings and Agendas – City
Council (04/02/13), Margot Bennett, and Carlene Brown (04/02/13).
Department Approval:
Martin R. Cole (04/02/13)
City Attorney Approval:
Carol Schwab (by H. Baker) (04/02/13)
Chief Financial Officer Approval:
Jeff Muir (04/02/13)
City Manager Approval:
John Nachbar (04/02/13) City of Culver City, California
Agenda Item Report
DISCUSSION:
Included herein is a summary of the measures that are being considered by the City
Council at tonight’s City Council meeting:
1. S. 150-Assault Weapons Ban of 2013 - Section 3 of S. 150 amends the
federal criminal code to ban the import, sale, manufacture, transfer, or
possession of a semi-automatic assault weapon. As S. 150’s text is 126
pages long, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) Summary from the
Library of Congress is provided in Attachment 2. Senate Majority Leader
Harry Reid of Nevada, who assembled pieces of legislation on gun violence,
has indicated that he will allow a floor amendment to add S. 150 to the
package. On April 1, 2013, the US Conference of Mayors (USCM) asked
Mayors to call their Senators and urge them to support Senator Feinstein’s
floor amendment to add the ban on assault weapons and large-capacity
magazines to the Senate bill. USCM also asks that Mayors advocate for a
separate amendment to ban large-capacity magazines.
If there is City Council consensus, the Mayor could send position letters to
Senator Feinstein and Senator Boxer with a copy to Congresswoman Bass.
2. Mayors Against Illegal Guns – According to this organization’s website: “At
the coalition's first summit, an initial group of 15 mayors met at Gracie
Mansion in New York City to discuss strategies for stopping the flow of illegal
guns into America's cities. Those mayors, along with every mayor who has
since joined the Mayors Against Illegal Guns coalition, signed the following
statement of principles.” The Statement of Principles is found in Attachment 3.
The City Council may choose to show its support by joining the coalition and
authorizing the Mayor sign the Statement of Principles.
3. Americans for Responsible Solutions – According to Gabrielle Giffords’ and
Mark Kelly’s website for this organization: “As gun-owning Westerners with
moderate, consensus oriented politics, Gabby and Mark believe in the need
to both enact measures to reduce gun violence and protect the rights of
responsible gun owners. While the gun lobby offers America a false choice
between gun rights and safe communities, Americans for Responsible
Solutions is committed to common sense policy that stops shootings while
respecting the Second Amendment, such as: Criminal Background Checks;
Limiting High Capacity Magazines; Limiting Assault Weapons; and Stopping
Gun Trafficking.
City of Culver City, California
Agenda Item Report
The City Council may choose to support the organization by contacting
Senators Boxer and Feinstein to urge them “to stand behind universal
background checks to reduce gun violence in the United States, to state that
background checks are supported by over 90% of all Americans and are a
common sense tool for keeping guns out of the hands of criminals and the
severely mentally ill.” The City Council may also elect to sign the
organization’s online petition “calling on Congress to enact universal
background checks for gun purchases and limit the availability of high
capacity magazines.” More information can be found in Attachment 4.
4. President Obama’s Gun Violence Reduction Executive Orders- Now is the
Time - The President’s plan to protect our children and our communities by
reducing gun violence – The President’s Plan includes 1) closing background
check loopholes to keep guns out of dangerous hands; 2) banning military-
style assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, and taking other
common sense steps to reduce gun violence; 3) making schools safer; and 4)
increasing access to mental health services. The complete list of President
Obama’s 23 Executive Actions to reduce gun violence can be found in
Attachment 5.
If the City Council chooses to support the President’s Plan, staff would
prepare a letter of support for the Mayor’s signature and forward that letter to
President Obama with a copy to the City’s federal representatives.
Should the City Council determine to take a position on any of these items, copies of
such correspondence will be placed on the City’s website on the City Council’s
portion of the website.
FISCAL ANALYSIS:
There is no fiscal impact for the City Council to take positions on these items.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Correspondence from USCM dated January 28, 2013
2. S. 150-Assault Weapons Ban of 2013
3. Mayors Against Illegal Guns
4. Americans for Responsible Solutions
5. President Obama’s Gun Violence Executive Orders- Now is the Time.
City of Culver City, California
Agenda Item Report
MOTION:
That the City Council:
Consider taking advocacy (either support or opposition) positions on guns,
including: S. 150 (Proposal by Senator Feinstein to Ban Assault Rifles); Mayors
Against Illegal Guns; Americans for Responsible Solutions; and President
Obama’s Gun Violence Reduction Executive Orders- Now is the Time and direct
the City Manager as deemed appropriate.
MEETING DATE: April 8, 2013
AGENDA ITEM: Consideration of Advocacy Positions to Convey the City
Council’s Position on S. 150 (Proposal by Senator
Feinstein to Ban Assault Rifles); Mayors Against Illegal
Guns; Americans for Responsible Solutions; and
President Obama’s Gun Violence Reduction Executive
Orders- Now is the Time.
ATTACHMENTS
Pages
1. Correspondence from USCM dated January 28, 2013 1-6
2. S. 150-Assault Weapons Ban of 2013 7-8
3. Mayors Against Illegal Guns 9
4. Americans for Responsible Solutions 10-13
5. President Obama’s Gun Violence Executive Orders- Now is the
Time.
14-15
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15