West Covina Municipal Code Art. II Firearms

Except as provided in section 15-29, no person shall have in his possession within the city, and no person shall fire or discharge or cause to be fired or discharged within the city, any firearms, cannon, gun, pistol, revolver, rifle, air rifle, air gun, BB gun or pellet gun.

(Code 1960, § 4400)

No parent, guardian or person having the care, custody or control of any minor shall permit such minor to have in his possession within the city, or to fire or discharge within the city, any firearm, cannon, gun, pistol, revolver, rifle, air rifle, air gun, BB gun or pellet gun, all referred to in this article as "firearms."

(Code 1960, § 4400.1)

The provisions of this article as to the use of any of the firearms mentioned therein shall not apply to any of the following cases:

(a) To police, peace officers, or persons in military service in the discharge of their duties and using reasonable care;

(b) To persons using firearms in necessary self defense;

(c) To the possession of such firearms for keeping at the place of residence or business of the person otherwise in lawful possession thereof, or while traveling to or from a legal firing, shooting or target range or hunting ground;

(d) To the discharging or firing of such firearms or causing them to be discharged or fired, at a legal firing, shooting or target range or hunting ground;

(e) To the area described in unclassified use permit No. 71, revision 5, (as that may be amended from time to time) for the sole purpose of repelling birds and vectors, with firearms designed specifically for that purpose, after reasonable prior notice to the LEA and in compliance with any and all applicable provisions of federal, state or local laws or regulations and any conditions imposed by the LEA or chief of police.

(Code 1960, § 4401; Ord. No. 1929, § 1, 12-21-93)

Editor's note— Section 15-30, "Providing minors with firearms unlawful," derived from Code 1960, § 4402, was repealed by § 2 of Ord. No. 1526, adopted Jan. 11, 1982.

No person under eighteen (18) years of age shall have in his possession, care, custody or control any article or thing mentioned in section 15-30.

(Code 1974, § 4403)

(a) Any person who brings into or possesses within the city hall of the City of West Covina any of the following shall be guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000.00), by imprisonment in the city or county jail for not more than six (6) months, or by both such fine and imprisonment:

(1) Firearm;

(2) Deadly weapon described in V.T.C.A., Penal Code § 653k or 12020;

(3) Knife with a blade length in excess of four inches, the blade of which is fixed or is capable of being fixed in an unguarded position by the use of one (1) or two (2) hands;

(4) Unauthorized tear gas weapon;

(5) Taser or stun gun, as defined in V.T.C.A., Penal Code § 244.5; or

(6) Any instrument that expels a metallic projectile, such as a BB or pellet, through the force of air pressure, CO2 pressure, or spring action, or any spot marker gun or paint gun.

The term "city hall" as used in this section refers to the City Hall of the City of West Covina located at 1444 West Garvey Avenue, West Covina, California, and all property immediately adjacent thereto that is owned and operated by the City of West Covina and shall not include any property operated by the County of Los Angeles.

(b) Subdivision (a) shall not apply to, or affect, any of the following:

(1) A duly appointed and currently employed peace officer as defined in V.T.C.A., Penal Code, tit. 3, part 2, ch. 4.5, § 830, who is on-duty and carrying out official duties in the City of West Covina, any duly appointed West Covina Police Officer whether on or off-duty, a full-time paid peace officer of another state or the federal government, whether on or off duty, any person summoned by any of these officers to assist in making arrests or preserving the peace while he or she is actually engaged in assisting the officer, or a member of the military forces of this state or the United States engaged in the performance of his or her duties.

(2) A person who has permission to possess a weapon granted in writing by the chief of police of the City of West Covina or his or her authorized designee.

(3) A retired peace officer who has the legal right to carry firearms or other weapons identified in subsection (a).

(c) The chief of police may institute the use of security devices and security measures which, in his or her discretion, are necessary to implement the provisions of this section. Such security devices and security measures may include, but are not limited to, the use of metal detectors and security checkpoints to screen individuals entering city hall. Upon entering any public meeting at the City Hall of West Covina, persons exempt under subsection (b) who are carrying a weapon shall identify themselves to and check in with the sergeant at arms.

(d) The imposition of a penalty in relation to a criminal action brought pursuant to this section shall not prevent the commencement of an administrative or civil action in addition to such criminal action. To that end, the penalty set forth in this section is not exclusive.

(e) Neither this section, nor the application thereof, is intended to conflict with any California or federal law. Rather, this section is intended to narrowly limit the number of individuals permitted to bring or carry weapons to and upon city hall. Where the application of this section to a particular individual would result in a penalty less than that provided under state law, the violation shall be prosecuted pursuant to state law.

(Ord. No. 2175, § 1, 4-15-08; Ord. No. 2278, § 1, 7-7-15)

Editor's note— Ord. No. 2175, § 1, Apr. 15, 2008 enacted new provisions to read as herein set out. Prior to amendment, Ord. No. 2078, § 1, adopted Feb. 5, 2002, repealed § 15-32 in its entirety. Formerly said section pertained to Saturday Night Specials, sale prohibited. See the Code Comparative Table.