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Lafayette requiring gun owners to lock up stored guns

A screenshot taken from a recording of the November 28 Lafayette City Council Meeting held over Zoom. Mayor Teresa Derringer is pictured in the top left corner.
City of Lafayette
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City of Lafayette
A screenshot taken from a recording of the November 28 Lafayette City Council Meeting, which was held over Zoom. The video is available on the City of Lafayette's YouTube channel. Mayor Teresa Derringer is pictured in the top left corner.

“And I’m an aye, so we have unanimously passed the resolution,” said Lafayette Mayor Teresa Gerringer speaking Monday night, after the City Council’s vote on an ordinance requiring gun owners to store their guns in locked containers when they are not using the weapons.

The ordinance is similar to regulations that have already been passed by at least 12 other Bay Area municipalities.

The members of the City Council voted after a public hearing in which Lafayette residents were invited to speak. The overwhelming majority of speakers expressed a desire for stronger gun regulations. School teacher Libby Henry said, “Gun safety is not opposing the Second Amendment.”

Despite the public support and precedent set by other municipalities, the legality of the ordinance remains unclear in the wake of the US Supreme Court’sBruen decision. That strengthened an individual’s right to carry a gun in public.

Although he expressed moral support for Lafayette’s ordinance, attorney Dan Horowitz – who was part of a commission studying the regulation – cautioned, “Bruen destroys almost every gun regulation out there.”

Andrew is a scientist and communicator who wants to make scientific research accessible to everyone and to ensure that science is discussed accurately and responsibly.