Sign the Bullet Bill Pronto : Mayor Riordan must be a leader in fight against gun mayhem

Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan has been silent on whether he will approve a controversial ordinance tightening restrictions on the sale of ammunition. The mayor should break his silence pronto. And he should not only sign this prudent public safety measure but also forcefully advocate policies that would ease the gun violence that each night sweeps over the city he leads.

The Los Angeles bullet ordinance, which cleared the City Council Tuesday on a 11-2 vote, requires gun dealers to keep detailed records on the brand, type and amount of handgun ammunition they sell. As in a similar measure passed earlier this year by the City of Pasadena, Los Angeles would also require buyers to be over 18 years old, to have proper identification papers and to complete an official form.

Most law enforcement officials favor the record-keeping requirement, and for an obvious reason: Paperwork leaves a trail that helps solve crimes. But even this strong argument apparently doesn’t mollify some critics of the measure, including council members Hal Bernson and Rudy Svorinich. Rather than voting to slow the firefights on the city’s streets, they expressed concern that tighter rules would drive ammunition buyers to do business in surrounding cities.

That argument has some validity, but it loses power with each city that enacts such a ban. Pasadena started the trend locally; some smaller cities around it have followed. The addition of Los Angeles to this group would make it much harder for those bent on crime to buy bullets. An hour’s drive through freeway traffic to a city allowing easier access to ammo might just be enough to deter some hotheads with handguns.

Mr. Mayor, this measure alone will not end the gun problem, but it, combined with other reasonable restrictions, will surely help. Please sign it.