Law to Track Ammunition Purchases May Be Revived

A Pasadena law requiring people to register at gun stores when they buy bullets--tentatively repealed last week by the City Council--could be revived if the city amends it to require background checks, thumbprinting and permits for all ammunition purchases, a council member said Tuesday.

Council members said the law was ineffective when they voted 4-2 to repeal it. But they delayed a final vote until late next month, saying they want to give gun-control advocates a chance to bolster it as a law enforcement tool.

Councilman Paul Little said he wants to retool Pasadena’s law to mirror much of a proposal that Los Angeles City Councilman Mike Feuer plans to introduce today.

Under that proposal, ammunition buyers in Los Angeles would have to pass a background check similar to one required for gun purchases, and would also have to get a permit from the Police Department. Gun buyers would be required to leave a thumbprint--as well as a signature--enabling law enforcement authorities to trace ammunition purchases.

“The Pasadena council wants something with some more teeth and this sounds to me like what my colleagues are asking for,” said Little, who is scheduled to appear with Feuer at a news conference today to announce the Los Angeles proposal.