TITLE
Recommendation to request City Manager to work with the Chief of Police to explore the creation of a "Gun Buy Back" program, to seek opportunities for grants and other funding sources, and to report back to the City Council with recommendations within 90 days. The program should offer various incentives in exchange for surrendered firearms.
DISCUSSION
There is a dialogue in our nation around gun control and the availability of firearms in the community. Recently, President Obama has requested that Vice President Joe Biden present recommendation on comprehensive gun violence legislation in Congress.
While the discussion on gun control is imminent in Congress, communities around the country, like Boston, Los Angeles, and San Francisco; are doing their part to help take weapons off the streets and out of the hands of criminals.
Violent gang crime costs the taxpayers and victims more than $2 billion every year in LA County. If gang homicides were reduced by 20% every year for five years, $100 million would be saved. (Advancement Project, 2005)
Firearms also impact the safety of the youth in the community. According to Women Against Gun Violence, approximately 5% of students in Los Angeles County reported carrying a gun on at least one day in the last 30 days. Over 8% of male students reported that they carried a gun on at least one day in the last 30 days. (CDC, 2007) Thirty-nine percent (39%) of LA County residents who lost their lives to gun violence were 24 years old or younger. (California Department of Public Health, EPIC Branch, 2009)
According to the Congressional Research Service, in 2009 there were an estimated 310 million firearms in the United States (not including weapons on military bases). The current population of the United States, is around 314 million, which means there is roughly 1 firearm for every person living in America.
Gun Buy-back programs are a creative way to encourage community ownership and to diminish the overall numb...
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