Culver City addresses gun safety as a local issue
Another school year has started in America and we have seen yet another school shooting; this time in Georgia. We all know that our national politicians are unwilling to enact sensible gun laws. Yet, here in Culver City, our City Council has taken measurable steps to make us all safer from gun violence.
Local parents Pushed the city to act
After the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, a group of parents at La Ballona Elementary began organizing around the issue of gun control in Culver City. At the time, the Martin B. Retting Gun Store was 878 feet from La Ballona Elementary, leading to the group’s name, Culver 878. The parents, joined by other community members, asked the City Council to pass some common sense safety measures to ensure our community is protected.
It turns out that statewide gun store regulations are lacking in safety measures. Culver 878 proposed the following:
Requiring gun sellers to register with the city, so the city knows who is selling guns
Preventing minors from entering gun stores
Requiring bollards outside of gun stores to prevent smash and grab robberies
Requiring guns in the store to be secured with a lock to prevent shoplifting
Registering gun inventories with the city twice a year to track guns and make sure they don’t go missing
Biannual inspections for compliance with these regulations
The City Council at the time, consisting of Mayor Daniel Lee, Vice Mayor Albert Vera, and Council Members Göran Eriksson, Yasmine-Imani McMorrin, and Alex Fisch, unanimously approved these regulations on November 14, 2022.
Culver City bought a gun store to shut it down and redevelop the land
The issue of gun safety came to a head again in August 2023. The Retting family had decided to sell their store — and local advocates were concerned another gun seller would buy the property.
Even though the store was less than 1,000 feet from the elementary school, and thus would not be allowed under current laws, the continued operation of a gun store at this location would be permitted due to a “grandfather” clause.
On September 11, 2023, after a large community outcry, the City Council, now consisting of Mayor Albert Vera, Vice Mayor Yasmine-Imani McMorrin, and Council Members Göran Eriksson, Dan O’Brian, and Freddy Puza, decided unanimously to buy the property.
This past winter, Culver City Artist Laureate Katy Kranz led a team to repaint the property, transforming it into a work of art. The city is now undertaking a process to decide what to do with the property and you can add your ideas.
In addition to actions taken by the city, CCUSD now includes a gun safety and storage policy in the forms parents must review each year.
While Culver City can only do so much as a municipality, parents and city leaders are committed to finally start addressing gun safety at a local level.