Los Angeles Municipal Code § 55.12 Duty to Report Theft or Loss of Firearms; Exemptions

(Added by Ord. No. 178,010, Eff. 12/3/06.)

A. Any person who owns or possesses a firearm (as defined in Penal Code Section 12001(b) or as amended) shall report the theft or loss of the firearm to the Los Angeles Police Department within 48 hours of becoming aware of the theft or loss, whenever: (1) the person resides in the City of Los Angeles; or (2) the theft or loss of the firearm occurs in the City of Los Angeles.

B. Any person who has experienced the theft or loss of a firearm within the five years prior to the effective date of this ordinance without the firearm having been recovered during that period, and who otherwise meets the reporting requirements in Section A. above, is required to report the loss or theft of the firearm to the Los Angeles Police Department within 60 days of the effective date of this ordinance.

C. Any person who fails to report the theft or loss of a firearm as required in Subsections A. or B., when the person knew or should have known of the theft or loss, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.

D. Persons licensed to sell or manufacture firearms pursuant to Penal Code Sections 12071 or 12086 are exempt from this section, if the firearm lost or stolen was business merchandise, was lost or stolen from their firearm-related business, or was in their possession pursuant to Penal Code Section 12082.

E. If any provision of this ordinance is found to be unconstitutional or otherwise invalid by any court of competent jurisdiction, that invalidity shall not affect the remaining provisions, which can be implemented without the invalid provisions, and to this end, the provisions of this ordinance are declared to be severable.

(Added by Ord. No. 179,149, Eff. 10/7/07.)

(a) Definitions.

1. “Firearm,” as used in this section, means any pistol, rifle, shotgun or other device designed to be used as a weapon, from which a projectile is expelled through a barrel by the force of an explosion or any other form of combustion, or any device that is capable of being altered so as to expel a projectile in that manner. The term firearm includes the frame of such weapon.

2. “Ammunition,” as used in this section, means any projectile designed to be expelled through the barrel of a firearm by the force of any explosion or other form of combustion, including, but not limited to, cartridge cases, primers, bullets, or propellant powder.

(b) Disposal of a firearm and/or ammunition in the City of Los Angeles shall only be accomplished in either of the following two ways:

1. By selling, giving away or otherwise transferring the firearm and/or ammunition in accordance with all applicable provisions of the California Penal Code, Welfare and Institutions Code, and this Code; or

2. By surrendering the firearm and/or ammunition to a California law enforcement agency for the purpose of destruction.

(c) Any person in the City of Los Angeles who disposes of a firearm and/or ammunition in any manner other than as required by this section, including, but not limited to, by depositing those item(s) in a public trash receptacle or leaving in any public place, is guilty of a misdemeanor.