Today, Wednesday, October 19, the San Jose Rules and Open Government Committee is scheduled to discuss a proposed firearms ordinance for the City that includes requirements for: (1) the locked-storage of firearms in the home; (2) the locked-storage of all firearms when kept within a vehicle; (3) the reporting of lost or stolen firearms; and (4) record keeping requirements for ammunition sales within the city of San Jose.
The NRA and CRPA’s Local Ordinance Project has been working with local activists and businesses to oppose this ordinance since first proposed by San Jose City Councilmembers Ash Kalra and Raul Peralez back in September. As a result of these team efforts, and the respective coalition members who have participated in public discussions, the San Jose Chief of Police has recommended that the Committee table all but the proposed locked-storage provision. But because the Committee is not required to follow the Chief’s recommendation, and because the Chief is still pursuing a mandatory locked-storage ordinance, it is more important than ever to oppose the ordinance now to prevent it from gaining any further traction.
As we have warned our members before, such ordinances do nothing to promote public safety, and instead create a dangerous patchwork of laws that can easily trap unwitting law-abiding gun owners in criminal prosecution. Even the Chief of Police noted that a “violation of such an ordinance would likely not come to light unless officers were called to a home or business on a report of a burglary or other criminal activity,” making it clear that such ordinances are only enforced after the fact and usually against crime victims. What’s more, California law already has a comprehensive set of laws regarding the negligent storage of a firearm in ones home, which already address every point of concern raised by the Chief.
The proposal is item number G.4 on the Committee agenda. The meeting is expected to take place at 2:00 p.m. in Wing 118-120 of the San Jose City Hall, located at 200 E. Santa Clara Street, San Jose, California 95113. We encourage all of our members to attend. If you are unable to participate in person, you can also contact the members of the Committee by email or phone at:
Mayor Sam Liccardo
Phone: (408) 535-4800
Vice Mayor Rose Herrera
Phone: (408) 535-4908
Charles “Chappie” Jones
Phone: (408) 535-4901
Johnny Khamis
Phone: (408) 535-4910
Magdalena Carrasco
Phone: (408) 535-4905
We also encourage all of our members to contact other members of the San Jose City Council to voice their opposition. You can contact them directly by phone or email at:
Ash Kalra
(408) 535-4902
Raul Peralez
(408) 535-4903
Manh Nguyen
(408) 535-4904
Pierluigi Oliverio
(408) 535-4906
Tam Nguyen
(408) 535-4907
Donald Rocha
(408) 535-4909
Continue to check your email and www.NRAILA.org for updates on this issue and other firearm-related issues in California and around the nation.
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