Large capacity clips like these would be banned
in Oakland under a proposed ordinance.

OAKLAND CITY COUNCIL | The National Rifle Association is urging its members and advocates to voice opposition to a package of gun restrictions being proposed at Tuesday’s Oakland City Council Public Safety Committee.

The proposed ordinances would make it illegal to carry high-capacity magazines in Oakland, require gun owners to store their firearms in a lock box or secured with a trigger lock, and place restrictions on licensed, but unsecured guns inside of automobiles. In addition, the committee will discuss a resolution directing the city administrator’s office to draft legislation requiring city-issued guns be secured in vehicles.

The NRA, on its website, says Oakland’s proposed laws are knee-jerk responses and reactionary. “At the end of the day, it comes down to the fact that all households are different and have different needs. This reckless ordinance encompasses every home in the city, not only those with young children residing in them. This one-size-fits-all approach is a solution to a non-existent problem and is both over-reaching and not based on fact.”

The various gun control ordinance follow the recent shootings in San Bernardino along with several high-profile local incidents involving gun crimes that were committed using firearms stolen from unattended vehicles. The high-capacity magazine ban is based similar laws in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Sunnyvale.

Oakland’s proposed gun legislation is backed by Councilmembers Dan Kalb, Rebecca Kaplan and Annie Campbell Washington. “We again watched in horror the madness unfolding, this time in San Bernardino.” Campbell Washington said last week. “But even our deepest, most sincere human empathy is simply not enough. We cannot sit by as NRA lobbyists protect a system that continually inflicts tragedy on our communities. It’s time we enacted policy to protect our families from the gun violence that is so prevalent in Oakland, that has taken hold of this nation as a form of widespread domestic terrorism — this legislation is an overt call to action”

Kaplan, who has featured notable support recently for reducing gun violence, lashed out at the NRA for its intransigence on guns. “The NRA claim that they are for responsible gun ownership. But leaving a gun loose in the backseat of an unattended car is incredibly irresponsible,” said Kaplan. “Letting guns be left where they can so easily be stolen is bad for public safety. And if the NRA wants guns to be easily stolen then they don’t care about safety — just about selling more guns.”

The NRA is urging members to speak out at Tuesday evening’s committee meeting and asking them to register opposition to city council members. The proposed legislation, says the NRA, will do nothing to lower gun crimes, but restrict gun owners’ right to bear arms.

Here’s a sample of the talking points issued by the NRA:

  • On banning high-capacity clips,the NRA references the lapsing of the federal assault ban in 2014 “because it DID NOT reduce violent crime AND it is a violation of a person’s right to possess and carry.”
  • On the Safe Storage Act, the NRA says such methods are not foolproof. “Reliance on devices, rather than safety rules, can instill a false sense of security that can lead to problems when a device-less firearm is encountered.”
  • Fatalities from gun accidents are at an all-time low, says the NRA. Americans are far more likely to die from car accidents than due to a firearm. However, the statistic references a 95 percent drop in accident deaths since way back in 1904.
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