INGLEWOOD – The Inglewood City Council will vote to repeal an outdated city ordinance related to the sale and purchase of handguns during the July 21 city council meeting.
According to the staff report, the City Council voted to repeal Chapter 5, Article 1, Section 19.6, of the Inglewood Municipal Code, known as the “Sale or Purchase of More Than One Handgun Within Thirty-Day Period Prohibited”, to conform to recent court decisions.
The ordinance was adopted in 1999.
“In 2025, the Ninth Circuit issued a decision in Nguyen v. Bonta striking down the state law equivalent of Inglewood Municipal Code section 5-19.6 as a violation of the Second Amendment and enjoined enforcement of the state law. The Ninth Circuit held that California’s “one-gun- a-month” law, which prohibits most people from buying more than one firearm in a 30-day period, facially violates the Second Amendment. This IMC section imposes similar restrictions as those struck down by the Ninth Circuit The Ninth Circuit’s decision calls into question the validity and enforceability of the City’s restriction. Given the ruling, it is recommended that the proposed Ordinance be adopted to repeal the restriction currently in the Inglewood Municipal Code.”
Interim City Attorney Rick Olivarez noted, “staff located no business within the City where an individual can legally purchase a weapon. Therefore, it is currently impossible to violate section 5-19.6 because there are no licensed firearms dealers in the City.”
Inglewood Police Chief Mark Fronterotta was named in a federal lawsuit, alongside City of Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell by Thomas Lopez, a member of the California National Guard, the Policy Coalition, and the California Gun Rights Foundation, arguing both cities “1 in 30″ ordinances unconstitutionally restrict law-abiding citizens from buying multiple handguns within 30 days.
“No exemption or pathway exists for the law-abiding citizen who wishes to purchase two handguns in the same month for self-defense or any other lawful purpose.”
Lopez v. Los Angeles was filed on June 3 in the U.S. District for the Central District of California, because both cities continue to handgun laws that the Ninth Circuit already found unconstitutional.
“The City of Los Angeles and the City of Inglewood each enforce a local ordinance that prohibits any person from purchasing more than one handgun within a thirty-day period. These ‘1-in-30 bans’ categorically bar ordinary, law-abiding citizens from acquiring more than one handgun per month, regardless of the citizen’s background, qualifications, or purpose, and back that prohibition with criminal penalties. No exemption or pathway exists for the law-abiding citizen who wishes to purchase two handguns in the same month for self-defense or any other lawful purpose.”
The City Council’s action repealing the ordinance will take effect in thirty (30) days.