San Jose Rules And Open Government Committee To Discuss Proposed Firearms Ordinance

On Wednesday, October 19, the San Jose Rules and Open Government Committee will be discussing a proposed firearms ordinance for the City that includes requirements for: (1) the locked-storage of firearms in the home; (2) the locked-storage of all firearms when kept within a vehicle; (3) the reporting of lost or stolen firearms; and (4) recordkeeping requirements for ammunition sales within the city of San Jose.

The NRA and CRPA’s Local Ordinance Project has been working with local activists and businesses to oppose this ordinance since first proposed by San Jose City Councilmembers Ash Kalra and Raul Peralez back in September. As a result of these team efforts, and the respective coalition members who have participated in public discussions, the San Jose Chief of Police has recommended that the Committee table all but the proposed locked-storage provision. But because the Committee is not required to follow the Chief’s recommendation, and because the Chief is still pursuing a mandatory locked-storage ordinance, it is more important than ever to oppose the ordinance now to prevent it from gaining any further traction.

As we have warned our members before, such ordinances do nothing to promote public safety, and instead create a dangerous patchwork quilt of laws that can easily trap unwitting law-abiding gun owners in criminal prosecution. Even the Chief of Police noted that a “violation of such an ordinance would likely not come to light unless officers were called to a home or business on a report of a burglary or other criminal activity,” making it clear that such ordinances are only enforced after the fact and usually against crime victims. What’s more, California law already has a comprehensive set of laws regarding the negligent storage of a firearm in one’s home, which already address every point of concern raised by the Chief.

The proposal is item number G.4 on the Committee agenda. The meeting is expected to take place at 2:00 p.m. in Wing 118-120 of the San Jose City Hall, located at 200 E. Santa Clara Street, San Jose, California 95113. We encourage all of our members to attend. Should you be unable to participate in person, you can also contact the members of the Committee by email or phone at:

Mayor Sam Liccardo
mayoremail@sanjoseca.gov
Phone: (408) 535-4800

Vice Mayor Rose Herrera
rose.herrera@sanjoseca.gov
Phone: (408) 535-4908

Charles “Chappie” Jones
District1@sanjoseca.gov
Phone: (408) 535-4901

Johnny Khamis
District10@sanjoseca.gov
Phone: (408) 535-4910

Magdalena Carrasco
District5@sanjoseca.gov
Phone: (408) 535-4905

We also encourage all of our members to contact other members of the San Jose City Council to voice their opposition. You can contact them directly by phone or email at:

Ash Kalra
District2@sanjoseca.gov
(408) 535-4902

Raul Peralez
District3@sanjoseca.gov
(408) 535-4903

Manh Nguyen
District4@sanjoseca.gov
(408) 535-4904

Pierluigi Oliverio
pierluigi.oliverio@sanjoseca.gov
(408) 535-4906

Tam Nguyen
District7@sanjoseca.gov
(408) 535-4907

Donald Rocha
District9@sanjoseca.gov
(408) 535-4909