Santa Monica : City May Delay Rifle Sales

Buyers of rifles in Santa Monica in the future could be subject to a 15-day wait before purchasing the weapons.

The City Council on Tuesday directed the city attorney to draft an ordinance designed to discourage the purchase of long guns. The council did not set a deadline for the draft ordinance.

The council had feared that such a law would clash with state regulations that prohibit cities from imposing waiting periods for criminal record checks. But City Atty. Robert Myers said the ordinance would sidestep the issue. He called the wait a “cooling-off period” that would douse potential criminal passions but would not be used for background checks.

However, Myers expects court challenges to the law, if it is approved. An optimistic Councilman David Finkel, who proposed the ordinance, said “It will heighten the discussion throughout the land on firearms.”