GUN WATCH : Stemming the Tide

City Council members Rita Walters and Mark Ridley-Thomas are taking direct aim at the gun problem in Los Angeles with a proposal that seeks to curb an alarming increase in drive-by shootings and in overall gun violence across the city.

Under a City Council motion submitted by Walters and strongly backed by Ridley-Thomas, residents would be required to register their guns with the city. A person would be permitted to buy only bullets that matched the caliber of the gun that he or she had registered, would be prohibited from buying individual bullets, and would be required to show proof of registration when buying ammunition.

First, the city attorney’s office and the Police Commission must prepare a report within 30 days on the legality of the ordinance. Attorneys will check whether California state gun laws preempt a local ordinance.

But clearly something has to be done about the escalation of gun-related violence here. According to FBI statistics, guns caused three homicides out of every four in Los Angeles County in 1990. There were 1,000 drive-by shootings between last January and October; the increase, now 23% over last year, could lead to a horrifying record for a single year.

While the outcome of the anti-gun motion is yet to be determined, the efforts of Walters and Ridley-Thomas are to be supported and commended. We encourage them and others to relentlessly pursue answers--no matter how unorthodox--to stemming the flow of guns and violence that washes its bloody tide over Los Angeles.