REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Introduce an Ordinance Enacting and Adopting a New Chapter 9.43 to the Sunnyvale Municipal Code to Regulate Licensed Firearms Dealers and to Prohibit Licensed Firearms Dealers from Selling, Delivering, or Giving Possession of a Semiautomatic Centerfire Rifle to any Person Under 21 Years of Age.
Report
BACKGROUND
On March 6, 2018, the City Council directed the Office of the City Attorney to research and return to City Council with recommendations for restricting the purchase of semi-automatic centerfire rifles by persons under 21, with exemptions for active duty military and law enforcement personnel.
EXISTING POLICY
General Plan Goal SN-3: Ensure a safe and secure environment for people and property in the community by providing effective public safety response and prevention and education services.
General Plan Police SN-3.2: Control conduct recognized as threatening to life and property.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The action being considered does not require review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) because it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that it may have an impact on the environment. (CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3))
DISCUSSION
Semi-automatic centerfire rifles, such as the AR-15, are a popular type of sporting rifle that can be legally used for hunting and target shooting. Unlike military rifles, semi-automatic rifles do not have a fully automatic mode. That is, the rifle can only fire one round per trigger pull. Nevertheless, AR-15 style rifles can be fired rapidly and could have large magazines that are easy to swap out. These types of rifles have been used in a number of recent mass-shooting incidents including Parkland, Florida; Las Vegas, Nevada; San Bernardino, California; Newtown, Connecticut; and Aurora, Colorado. The incident at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, which killed 17 people, was perpetrated by a 19-year-old former student who had legally purc...
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