After the passage of numerous new control laws at the state and city level during the last 18 months, Los Angeles “is on course to end the year with an increase in violent crime.”
Here are some of the new gun laws:
On May 4, 2013, the Huffington Post reported that the LA City Council voted to ban the possession of “high capacity” magazines within city limits. On February 23, 2014, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that restrictions on concealed carry had to be eased, the LA County Sheriffs Department did not comply. And on July 2 of this year, Breitbart News reported that the LA City Council supported the push to ban “single shot” handguns, a ban which was implemented on the state level.
In addition to the city-level laws, on October 11, 2013 Breitbart News reported that California Governor Jerry Brown (D) signed laws banning lead ammo, expanding criminal firearm storage rules, requiring safety certificates for owners of long guns, and expanding background checks, among other things.
But crime is rising, rather than falling in LA.
According to the Los Angeles Times, LA’s “overall violent crime rate is up 7.6 percent so far this year compared with the same time in 2013.” The increase in such crime “has been driven by aggravated assaults… which have jumped nearly 20 percent.” And rapes are up 7 percent.
It is interesting to note that “aggravated assaults” — the kind which are up 20 percent in LA — are attacks characterized, in part, by the use of “weapons.”
Crimes involving weapons are driving violent crime rates higher in the wake of a new gun control laws.
AWR Hawkins on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.