Following an emotional group of public speakers, City Council unanimously voted in favor of creating a firearms policy subcommittee at the meeting on the evening of Monday, Aug. 22.
The vast majority of speakers want the City Council to come down hard with firearm policy in whichever ways are in their power, with some pleading against the forming of a subcommittee because they just “slow things down.” Many asked for a moratorium on new gun stores and ranges.
Assistant City Manager Jesse Mays said that there are currently four commercial firearms licenses granted in Culver City – two for gunsmiths and two for firearms retailers. Still, a group of community members advocating for common sense gun safety pointed out that the city has one gun business for every 10,000 people which is one of the highest per-capita rates in the country.
They asked that no gun sellers can operate within 1,000 feet of sensitive areas, which they define as school, parks and playgrounds, and they wish to expand the definition to include places of worship, bars, preschools, childcare centers, polling locations, nursing homes, hospitals, colleges, libraries, theaters, and anywhere that families gather. Again, the group asked for an emergency moratorium on new gun businesses.
Mayor Daniel Lee was sympathetic to the calls from the public, and he specifically pointed out how threatening lines outside of gun stores can be to people worshiping at nearby mosques.
Still, all of the council felt that a subcommittee to examine their options was the way to go, and the vote was 5-0 in favor.