Date:
To:
From:
Subject:
City of Long Beach
Working Together to Serve
April 12, 2022
Honorable Mayor and City Council
Councilwoman Suely Saro, Chair, Public Safety Committee Recommended Letter of Support, in Support of AB 1621
Memorandum
R-20
The Public Safety Committee, at its meeting held Friday, February 25, 2022 considered communications relative to the above subject.
It is the recommendation of the Public Safety Committee to the City Council that the communication be receivedr to bring forth recommendation to the full City Council to write a letter of support, in support of AB 1621.
Respectfully submitted,
Public Safety Committee
Councilwoman Suely Saro, Chair
Prepared by:
Tamela Austin
Attachment
COUNCILWOMAN
SUELY
Date: April 12, 2022
To: Honorable Mayor Garcia and Members of the City Council From: Councilwoman Suely Saro, Sixth District
Subject: Support for Assembly Bill 1621 to enact legislation relating to unserialized firearms
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation to request City Council approve the motion of the Public Safety Committee on February 25, 2022, to support Assembly Bill 1621 to enact legislation relating to unserialized firearms.
BACKGROUND:
On February 25, 2022, the Public Safety Committee (Committee) received a presentation regarding increased gun violence and ghost guns in Long Beach. Between 2020 and 2021, the Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) reported an increase in shootings (14 percent), firearm-related arrests (37 percent), firearms seized (36 percent), and prohibited firearm possessor arrests (24 increase). Of all firearms seized by LBPD in 2021, 17 percent were ghost guns, which are assembled from components and kits sold online.
Ghost guns bypass the background check process, lack serial numbers used for tracking, and are not included in acquisition and disposition records.
Given the challenge of addressing the increase of ghost guns in the City, the Committee moved to support Assembly Bill 1621. The legislation, introduced by Assembly member Mike Gipson on January 10, 2022, would further prohibit unserialized firearms, or ghost guns, in California by redefining ghost guns as a firearm precursor and considering them as firearms for the purposes of regulating the possession, sale, and transfer. The legislation would also prohibit the manufacturing or assembling of an unserialized firearm, requiring certain timelines for people in possession of unserialized firearms to have them registered within the State database.
Respectfully submitted,
Public Safety Committee
Councilwoman Dr. Su y Saro, Chair
FISCAL IMPACT:
No Financial Management review was able to be conducted due to the urgency and time sensitivity of this item.
SUGGESTED ACTION:
Approve Recommendation.