On Tuesday, the Glendale City Council disappointed firearm owners and civil rights proponents by voting 3-2 to pass on its first reading an ordinance crafted by the City Attorney to ban the possession and sale of firearms and ammunition on city property.
The original intent of the city council was to ban the Glendale Gun Show, which has been held in a city-owned facility for decades without incident. That would have been bad enough but the ordinance just approved on Tuesday night goes well beyond banning the gun show. This ordinance also takes away the ability of people to lawfully defend themselves on public property in Glendale.
The City Council insists that this ordinance does not infringe on First or Second Amendment rights nor conflicts with California law. The City Council relied heavily on an outside consultant attorney’s biased analysis for which Glendale residents are likely paying - in being misled to believe that the ordinance is constitutional.
But attorneys for the NRA in California provided Glendale city officials with a free legal analysis on the unconstitutionality of the proposed ordinance and appeared at the City Council meeting along with scores of grassroots activists voicing their opposition to this ordinance. Litigation is inevitable if the ordinance is adopted, so a judge will likely be deciding which side is correct. With several cities having paid the NRA large sums for defending unlawful ordinances recently, the stakes are high for the City of Glendale.
There is still a chance the Glendale City Council will come to its senses. To become law, this ordinance must be voted on by the City Council one more time on Tuesday, March 19. Call AND e-mail City Council members NOW to voice your opposition, especially if you live in Glendale. The phone number to contact the members of the City Council is (818) 548-4000 and their e-mail addresses are provided below.
Should this ordinance pass, Glendale residents who believe in the Second Amendment will have one more opportunity to defeat this ordinance by voting in the city council election on April 2 for candidates who promise to respect their residents’ constitutional rights and who pledge to repeal this ordinance once the new council takes office. You will know the positions of the three current council members who are up for reelection at Tuesday’s meeting: Ara Najarian, Laura Friedman and Rafi Manoukian.
Make clear to all City Council candidates, whether currently serving on the City Council or not, that you will not vote for anyone who supports this ordinance.
The NRA will continue to monitor, oppose and update as this important issue unfolds.
Frank Quintero, Mayor, [email protected]
Laura Friedman, Council Member, [email protected]
Rafi Manoukian, Council Member, [email protected]
Ara Najarian, Council Member, [email protected]
Dave Weaver, Council Member, [email protected]
Ardashes Kassakhiam, Clerk, [email protected]
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